The Hague launches "attack plan" to increase vaccination rate

The municipality of The Hague is launching a "plan of attack" to encourage its residents to vaccinate their children. "The current vaccination rate in The Hague is worrying", public health alderman Kavita Parbhudayal said to RTL Nieuws.

After years of decline, the nationwide vaccination rate among 2-year-olds in the Netherlands remained stable last year. But in The Hague the rate still decreased from 89.4 percent in 2017 to 87.9 percent last year. "That is far below the 95 percentage set by the World Health Organization", the municipality stressed. According to the WHO, a 95 percent vaccination rate is needed to guarantee group immunity against measles.

The city wants to achieve a 95 percent vaccination rate for all infants, toddlers and school children. The municipality will therefore make it easier for parents to have their kids vaccinated with easier opening times for vaccination locations, and mobile vaccination teams moving through the city. The city is also launching a campaign to stress "that vaccination and combating infectious diseases is a collective responsibility".