Key Points

• Overall, vaccination coverage remains insufficient in French Guiana:

  • Meningococcal C (in children and adolescents): 42% among 10- to 14-year-olds (vs. 69% for France as a whole) and 29% among 15- to 19-year-olds (vs. 44% for France as a whole)

  • Meningococcal B: 14% with one dose (vs. 49% for France as a whole)

  • HPV: 25% with one dose and 18% with two doses among girls (vs. 49% and 42%, respectively, for France as a whole) and 5% with one dose and 2% with two doses among boys (vs. 13% and 8%, respectively, for France as a whole). Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer in French Guiana.

  • Influenza: 11% among at-risk individuals under 65 years of age and 18% among those aged 65 and older. Influenza vaccination coverage is far from the 75% target.

• Vaccination coverage rates calculated based on data from the DCIR-SNDS health insurance system could not be estimated for the following vaccines: “DTP, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), hepatitis B,” “pneumococcus,” “measles, mumps, rubella,” and “meningococcus C in infants” because a significant proportion of infants receive free vaccines administered by PMI centers.

• The Santé publique France Public Health Barometer conducted in 2021 among a sample of the population aged 18 to 75 revealed a decline in general vaccination uptake in French Guiana between 2014 and 2021: 87% of people in favor in 2014 versus 72% in 2021. This trend, observed in all overseas departments and regions (DROMs), runs counter to that seen in metropolitan regions, where support has increased.

• In a territory where nearly 8,000 children are born each year, the decline in vaccination acceptance—against a backdrop of already insufficient vaccination coverage and limited healthcare provision—underscores the need to continue efforts to improve vaccination protection in French Guiana.