Less Measles Cases Reported

The number of new reports of measles is halved the last week compared to the previous week. Last week there were 64 new cases. The week before, that number was still 127. These figures were published on Thursday by the RIVM. Since May the Netherlands has seen a growing number of measles patients. In total, since May 1226 people were infected with the disease, mostly children between 4 and 12 years. The vast majority of people who become infected live in the Bible Belt, the strip from Zeeland to Overijsel, where many strict Calvinists live and who don’t allow vaccination because of their faith. The number of new cases has been falling for several weeks, but according to a spokesman for the RIVM that does not necessarily mean that the measles epidemic has passed its peak. The RIVM believes that the epidemic expands once all the schools have started again. "We still expect a peak in the autumn, though it is conjecture," said the spokesman. Some 82 measles patients are hospitalized due to complications.