Due to vaccination against HPV, fewer people are transmitting HPV to others. The spread of HPV is decreasing as a result. Research shows that HPV vaccination indirectly also protects unvaccinated women to some extent. This shows the importance of vaccination against HPV.

Vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) offers highly effective protection against cervical cancer. These findings are from the first group of women who could get the HPV vaccination and have a smear test.

In 2023, more people in the Netherlands contracted a disease which is vaccinated against in the context of the National Immunisation Programme (RVP) than in 2022. This is because coronavirus measures, such as physical distancing, were still in effect for part of 2022.

From 20 November on, data from National Immunisation Programme will be available through the client portal provided by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM): Mijn.RIVM.nl . The data can also be accessed through five personal digital health environments qualified for this purpose.

Starting in 2025, the vaccination schedule used in the National Immunisation Programme for children will be updated. The changes apply to four scheduled vaccination times. This offers children even better protection against infectious diseases, such as measles and whooping cough.

Babies develop fewer antibodies against pertussis (whooping cough) if the mother is given the pertussis vaccine before the 24th week of pregnancy. These findings are from a multi-year study carried out by RIVM among preterm and full-term babies and their mothers.

The percentage of babies and toddlers that were vaccinated in the framework of the National Immunisation Programme remained about the same compared to last year. In children aged 9 years and older, vaccination coverage continued to decrease for most of the national childhood immunisations.

This week saw the start of babies being vaccinated against the rotavirus. This vaccination is included in the Dutch National Immunisation Programme as of this year. All parents of babies born on or after 1 January 2024 will receive an invitation for this.

From 2024, rotavirus vaccination will be included in the National Immunisation Programme (NIP). Rotavirus can cause severe diarrhoea and dehydration in babies, in some cases requiring them to be hospitalised.

In 2022, a slightly higher number of people in the Netherlands contracted diseases covered by the National Immunisation Programme (NIP) compared to 2021. This increase is likely due to the easing of coronavirus measures, such as social distancing.