MOZOM vergelijkt
MOZOM compares: childhood vaccination rate, protection or confidence barometer?
- Source
- MOZOM vergelijkt
- MOZOM headline
- MOZOM compares: childhood vaccination rate, protection or confidence barometer?
- Original headline
- Vaccination rates for babies and toddlers have fallen slightly again, increased among teenagers
- Author
- MOZOM-redactie
- Date
- 30 juni 2026 om 14:00
- Subject
- New RIVM figures show that the vaccination rate among babies and toddlers in the Netherlands is declining slightly, while teenagers are being vaccinated more often.
Summary of the original report
NOS, the Dutch Broadcasting Foundation, reports on the basis of the RIVM, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands, that the vaccination rate in babies and toddlers has again fallen slightly. The picture remains approximately stable among schoolchildren and an increase is visible among teenagers, especially with vaccinations such as HPV and meningococcal disease. Dutch minister Hermans calls the decline worrying because the national vaccination rate has been under pressure for about ten years. At the same time, the RIVM warns of a measurement problem: since 2022, some vaccinations have only been registered anonymously, as a result of which the registered vaccination rate may appear lower than the actual participation. The National Vaccination Program protects against fourteen serious infectious diseases. New or recent injections, such as those against rotavirus and RS virus, already achieve approximately three-quarters of participation among infants, according to the report.
Striking in this message
It is striking that a small decline can still weigh heavily. In infectious diseases, it is not only the individual decision that counts, but also the joint coverage. As a result, a few percentage points difference can sound much bigger in policy debates than in a parent's daily life.
Less visible context
What is less visible is that trust cannot be restored with a brochure. Parents receive information through doctors, social media, family, foreign examples and sometimes also through misinformation. If that information flow becomes fragmented, vaccination policy becomes not only medical policy, but also communication policy.
Possible message behind the news
A possible message is that vaccination rates are not just about the availability of shots, but about the confidence needed to actually use that protection.
Neutral conclusion
The neutral conclusion: the figures do not show a collapse, but they do show a warning light. Registered protection continues to decline among young children, while the increase among teenagers shows that recovery remains possible if trust and implementation are better aligned.