The failed bet of vaccination among 5-11 year olds in Overseas France

In France, only one child in twenty aged 5 to 11 has been vaccinated against Covid-19, notes a study carried out by Public Health France. A very low vaccination rate which highlights strong regional disparities.

In total, 320,737 children received at least one dose of vaccine against Covid-19 between January 1, 2021 and November 15, 2023, or 5.3% of them. However, this figure varies greatly from one region to another. Indeed, if in Brittany 7.8% of 5-11 year olds are vaccinated, in Guadeloupe less than 1% have received an injection. “In mainland France, the regions of the Greater West were characterized by the highest vaccination rates (…) Conversely, the South-East of the mainland and the DROMs were characterized by a low vaccination rate”details the Public Health France report.

2.3% in Reunion, 1.7% in Guyana, 1.2% in Martinique, 0.9% in Guadeloupe… These particularly low vaccination rates could, according to Public Health France, be explained by factors social. The study carried out by this public establishment highlights that “children residing in an area with a low economic level were less vaccinated, which reveals the persistence and/or exacerbation of social inequalities observed during the pandemic (on the risk of infection and access to diagnostic tests)”.

The study also presents the factors that could explain this low vaccination rate among children. Among these, “the distrust of certain parents (…) concerning the safety and adverse effects of vaccines”, or even “the effectiveness in real conditions of use of vaccines lower in children” as well as a “low risk for children of presenting severe forms of Covid-19”. Indeed, children, including those at risk, presented in “less than 1% of cases, serious forms of Covid-19”.

Public Health France nevertheless concludes that “a failure of the vaccination strategy in children with comorbidity”, among whom only one child at risk in 13 was vaccinated (7.8%). The public establishment wishes in the future “improve confidence in vaccines and increase the vaccination rate for future campaigns”. For this he exposes “the need for additional awareness-raising efforts and information for families on vaccination, particularly among children from disadvantaged backgrounds and suffering from chronic illnesses”.

Overseas, vaccination coverage of the complete primary vaccination followed by a booster dose concerns 42.8% of the general population in Reunion, 34.7% in Guadeloupe, 26.5% in Martinique, 17.2 % in Mayotte and 15.7% in Guyana. Figures significantly lower in France where all departments have a vaccination rate greater than 50% of the population of all ages, with the exception of Haute-Corsica. These significantly lower rates could then be explained by a distrust of vaccines and strong opposition to compulsory vaccination which appeared particularly during 2022 in certain overseas departments.