Child daycare sector will not implement new measures against whooping cough

The child daycare sector in the Netherlands will not take any new measures to combat the current outbreak of whooping cough, according to Brancheorganisatie Kinderopvang (BK), an organization representing the Dutch daycare sector. Four babies have already died from the contagious children's disease in the past eight weeks, public health institute RIVM announced on Friday.

"This is a societal problem that cannot be pushed onto children's daycare centers, especially when there is a lack of a clear legal framework. We cannot impose a policy on all daycare centers regarding this matter; that is up to the legislator," said BK director Emmeline Bijlsma. Her organization has over a thousand members and claimed to represent the majority of daycare providers in the Netherlands.

It is not easy to implement measures to stop whooping cough from entering daycares as the problem is everywhere, said Bijlsma. "This is a societal problem caused by low vaccination rates in the Netherlands."

The organization said it understands the fears and worries of parents, and added that it does feel a duty of care. BK was already referring parents to youth health care and experts in this area, something which parents already find to be nerve-wracking, Bijlsma said.

There have been ongoing discussions with the Ministry of Social Affairs about an information brochure concerning vaccinations. It is not known when this will come. "There is a reason that reports about vaccinations were being made," Bijlsma added.

The RIVM said that four babies died from whooping cough in the period between February and March of this year. The health institution stated that the number of babies with the disease is increasing across the whole country.

Whooping cough, a very contagious disease, causes symptoms that seem like a cold or coughing fits, which then continue for months on end. This infection can lead to pneumonia. The disease is acutely dangerous for babies. People died every year from whooping cough over the last few years, but never more than five people in a given calendar year.