GGDs receive many calls, but hardly administer any additional injections Domestic

Now that whooping cough is circulating and there is a first measles outbreak in Eindhoven, GGDs are calling on parents ‘to protect their children’ by having them vaccinated. The number of children without vaccination has increased in recent years, making herd immunity relatively low.

For example, protection against contagious measles requires a vaccination rate of 95 percent, but this is around 89 percent. In some villages or neighborhoods that percentage is even lower, which increases the risk of an outbreak.

Many parents are concerned about this, GGDs note. At GGD Hart voor Brabant (Tilburg and Den Bosch area), 69 percent more questions about infectious diseases were received than usual. “They want to know more about their child’s vaccination status and whether their newborn can get a vaccination earlier. Some parents indicate that they still want to have their child who has not yet been vaccinated,” a spokesperson said.

Yet hardly any more parents have their children vaccinated. It is unclear how many additional injections have been administered this week or are planned in the near future. However, most GGDs indicate that things are not going very well.

Additional walk-in consultation hours were held in Purmerend, Volendam and Zaandam, but attendance was ‘limited’. GGD Zaanstreek-Waterland says it has administered a maximum of ten extra injections. The GGD Gooi & Vechtstreek adds: “Questions do come in, but little or no additional agreements have been made.” And GGD Twente has announced that it will give extra injections ‘little by little’.

In Friesland, 9-year-olds have been called up for their standard MMR injection (mumps, measles and rubella) these weeks. More parents in particular are asking whether younger brothers or sisters who have missed their vaccinations can come along to catch up. “Relatively more parents have reported to the vaccination locations,” said a spokesperson.

The demand for additional vaccinations appears to be greatest at the GGD Brabant-Zuidoost in the Eindhoven region. There, 21 people became infected with measles in recent weeks. The GGD says it has made ten additional appointments for children under 9 who have missed injections. “We are also still processing a large number of applications where we are investigating whether the child is indeed eligible for an appointment,” says a spokesperson. This concerns, for example, children under 9 who are more likely to want a shot, but for whom there is no medical need.

For the time being, the GGDs can easily plan the extra appointments. Nevertheless, various regions take additional vaccination days into account. “If registrations increase to such an extent that it does not fit in the current locations, we will look at where expansion is necessary,” says a spokesperson for GGD Hollands Noorden. GGD Noord- en Oost-Gelderland is also considering additional vaccination days.

The GGD Kennemerland already decided last week to deploy extra vaccines and people at the injection locations.

The RIVM currently sees no reason to protect more children early. Children receive their first injection against mumps, measles and rubella at 14 months. This vaccination can only be brought forward in emergencies. Experts prefer not to do this, because protection against measles is less good if children are vaccinated earlier.

This story was created with the cooperation of healthcare reporters from all regional newspapers.

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