Dutch cities to get 7 million euros to raise vaccinations in low-income areas

Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht will receive a total of 7 million euros in 2026 to increase vaccination rates in low-income neighborhoods, the Dutch government announced. The funding is aimed at districts where immunization levels remain well below the national average.

The move comes after a majority in the Tweede Kamer approved a proposal Thursday from GroenLinks-PvdA representative Lisa Vliegenthart. The plan references a measles outbreak in major cities last year and the deaths of five infants and one adult from whooping cough as key reasons for the program.

Vliegenthart said vaccination is “increasingly less taken for granted,” pointing to growing misinformation about vaccines and rising distrust in government institutions. She noted that funds allocated in 2025 had already produced results in some neighborhoods, demonstrating how barriers to vaccination could be lowered.

The 2026 funding will support neighborhood-focused strategies designed to reach residents who have historically been harder to vaccinate. Officials emphasized that the approach focuses on accessibility and education rather than mandatory immunization policies.