The Hague kicks off vaccination campaign

The Hague will be paying extra attention to vaccination this week in a campaign with the motto: "For yourself, for each other". The goal is to raise awareness about vaccinations and exactly what they contain, and thereby eliminate fear or concerns that are resulting in parents not vaccinating their children, alderman Kavita Parbhudayal of The Hague said on radio program Goedemorgen Nederland.

According to Parbhudayal, less than 90 percent of children in The Hague have been vaccinated. And that is worrisome. Because for herd immunity against the measles, for example, you need a vaccination rate of 95 percent.

The alderman believes that misunderstanding and misinformation are the main culprits behind parents' reluctance to have their kids vaccinated. "For example, there are groups of people with a Muslim background who think that the vaccinations contain pig fat. We really want to inform them about te substances and stuff in those vaccines," Parbhudayal said.

This week's campaign will help raise awareness. Also about how getting vaccinated is not only to protect yourself, but also the vulnerable people in your community against serious diseases. "Vaccination is the norm. It is a shared responsibility of all of us," Parbhudayal said.