In Boekel and Loon op Zand, the number of fully vaccinated against infectious diseases among 2-year-olds has fallen sharply since the corona wave. Both municipalities were severely affected by COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021. It has not been investigated whether there is a connection, but of all municipalities in Brabant, the vaccination rate in Boekel has fallen the fastest since corona, by 28 percent to almost 70 percent.
In Loon op Zand, where the first patient with corona was officially discovered in 2020, approximately all children aged 0 to 2 had had their childhood vaccinations in 2019. This year that is almost a quarter less. The GGDs in Brabant recognize the downward trend. There are no plans for additional campaigns, although it is being considered whether more ‘tailor-made’ vaccinations can be offered or whether this development can be responded to differently.
According to the GGDs, the low percentage in Boekel is due to administrative bottlenecks, among other things. The municipality also has relatively few young children and a decrease is particularly noticeable. Furthermore, the GGD sees no specific other explanation.
Altena scores lowest again
Altena is the municipality in Brabant where the percentage is even lower: over 74 percent. The fall was still here. The three GGDs in Brabant in a joint response: “In Altena, the vaccination rate has always been somewhat lower. That is no different now.”
They agree that since the corona pandemic, the small group of people who do not take a vaccine has increased slightly with various vaccinations from the National Immunization Programme.
Motives not exactly known
“Vaccination is voluntary and we don’t know exactly what the parents’ motivations are for doing this or not. This is also not recorded. ‘Laggards’ occur in all layers of the population and can no longer be linked to religion or belief alone. But vaccinating remains important to protect yourself and others, because the risk of outbreaks of infectious diseases can increase in the long term with a lower vaccination rate,” the GGDs also say.
That is why they continue to focus on information and conversations with parents and young people to keep them well informed. The GGDs: “Only in this way can they make a well-considered choice. Children and young people will again receive an invitation for the National Immunization Program this fall.”
Exactly ten years ago, the Bible Belt in particular, to which Altena also belongs, was hit by a measles epidemic. The vaccination rate is so low in some parts of the country that an outbreak of measles, for example, is lurking again, according to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
State Secretary Maarten van Ooijen of Public Health speaks of a very worrying decrease. For the first time in decades, the vaccination coverage of the youngest age group was slightly below 90 percent last year, RIVM reports. The institute is also concerned about this trend.
‘Health inequality’ is imminent
In Brabant, the average in 2019 was 92.2 percent. The latest poll indicates a drop of almost 9 percent to 83 percent. Jeanne-Marie Hament, manager of the National Immunization Program (RVP), also hopes that the downward trend can be reversed. Otherwise, according to her, there is a threat of ‘health inequality’ between people who have been vaccinated and those who have not.
On a side note, some people today refuse to register shots. This may lead to some underreporting. The GGDs in Brabant also point this out in their joint response. A number of administrative improvements have now been implemented, so that the percentages next year will give a more realistic picture. The State Secretary for Youth and Prevention has promised to prepare an amendment to the law by 2025, given the identified bottlenecks.
It is unclear whether the refusal is related to the lack of confidence in the government that has developed among part of the population during the corona epidemic.
See here what the vaccination rate is in your municipality: