Infographics. Flu epidemic: how has vaccination coverage evolved in Burgundy-Franche-Comté?

On October 14, 19 million French people received a letter in their mailbox from the French National Health Insurance Fund inviting them to get vaccinated against the flu. This campaign helps prevent serious forms of the disease, which lead to hospitalizations and deaths. Last year, the flu epidemic was particularly severe, causing 17,600 deaths.

Nationally, 46.5% of at-risk individuals were vaccinated during the 2024-2025 campaign . This vaccination coverage is far from the Ministry of Health's target of 75% set by the World Health Organization (WHO). But how has vaccination progressed in Burgundy-Franche-Comté?

During the latest campaign in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, vaccination coverage stagnated . Among those aged 65 and over, the number of people who received a dose of vaccine fell from 53.3% in 2023-2024 to 52.3% in 2024-2025. The same was true among those under 65 at risk , where the vaccination rate fell from 26.3% to 25.5% in one year.

But with more hindsight, we observe a downward trend over the last four years . During the 2020-2021 health period, vaccination reached a peak with coverage reaching 60.4% of those aged 65 and over compared to 41.2% for those under 65. Since that winter, these rates have been decreasing . In a report dating from September 2024, Santé Publique France estimates that these vaccination coverages among the elderly “are changing little and remain insufficient in France despite communication campaigns”.

There are also marked disparities between departments. In Franche-Comté, Doubs is the best performer with a rate of 51.5% among people aged 65 and over, ahead of Jura (48.5%), Haute-Saône (48.1%), and Territoire de Belfort (47.3%). Santé Publique France also notes “higher vaccination rates in densely populated urban areas.” These differences are explained by the availability of healthcare across the regions.

These inequalities are also visible according to social background: “the least qualified people and those with the lowest incomes are the least well vaccinated”. A trend that Santé Publique France also notes in the medical field : “doctors and pharmacists are significantly better vaccinated against the flu than nurses or nursing assistants”.

But how can this reluctance to be vaccinated be explained? Among the possibilities raised by the health agency: "unvaccinated people mainly consider this vaccine to be useless or likely to cause adverse effects." Before Covid-19, the flu vaccine was the one that raised the most reservations among the population.