The Hague warns low childhood vaccination raises outbreak risk

The Hague warned on 23 October that too few children are being vaccinated against infectious diseases, particularly in neighbourhoods in the Centrum, Escamp and Laak districts. Citing figures from the regional public health service, GGD Haaglanden, the city said lower uptake could make outbreaks of measles, mumps and whooping cough more likely. It was warning of a risk, not announcing a new outbreak.

The GGD lists a report on vaccination uptake by district and neighbourhood for its 2026 reporting year, published on 9 September. The Dutch public health institute RIVM recorded more than 500 measles cases nationally in 2025, most of them among children at primary schools with low vaccination coverage.

Coverage targets need to be read disease by disease. The World Health Organization says at least 95% coverage with two doses of a measles-containing vaccine is needed to protect communities against measles outbreaks. An ANP dispatch published by Nieuws.nl also presents a 90% threshold for a wider group of diseases as a measure of group protection. But that cannot apply to tetanus in the way the dispatch suggests: RIVM says tetanus does not spread between people, so herd immunity offers no protection against it. The infant RSV jab included in the dispatch’s list is an antibody immunisation, not a vaccination, according to RIVM. Neither distinction changes the city’s warning about diseases that can spread between people.

RIVM says some vaccinations recorded anonymously cannot be counted in national coverage figures, leaving recorded rates less precise and lower than actual uptake. The size of any such difference in The Hague’s neighbourhoods is unclear.

Councillor Mariëtte van Leeuwen wants vaccination uptake to rise and has called for clear, reliable information and room for parents’ questions. The Hague’s youth and family centre says it is working with local partners to hold information meetings in community centres and schools.