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.
Which vaccination times will change in 2025?
- Children will receive the last vaccinations in the DTaP-IPV-Hib- HBV and pneumococcal vaccine series at the age of 12 months, instead of at 11 months. These vaccinations protect against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), polio, Haemophilus influenza type B, hepatitis B and pneumococcal disease.
- Children will receive the second MMR vaccination at the age of 3 years, instead of at 9 years. The MMR vaccination protects against mumps, measles and rubella.
- Children will receive the DTaP vaccination at the age of 5 years. This replaces a DTaP-IPV vaccination at the age of 4 years. The previous vaccine also included protection against polio, but that is no longer necessary at this age. The DTaP vaccination protects against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (pertussis).
- Children will receive the DT-IPV vaccination at the age of 14 years, instead of at 9 years. The DT-IPV vaccination protects against diphtheria, tetanus and polio.
The website of the National Immunisation Programme has more information about the changes. It also shows an overview of the changes for children born in each birth year (in Dutch).
Advisory opinion regarding vaccination schedule
These scheduled vaccination times have been changed as advised by the Health Council of the Netherlands. The state secretary of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport had asked the Health Council to evaluate the vaccination schedule of the National Immunisation Programme. The Health Council has provided an advisory opinion (in Dutch) to retain all vaccinations and shift several vaccination times.
The youth healthcare service organisations and RIVM are hard at work organising the new vaccination times. Parents will automatically receive an invitation for the new vaccination times. They do not need to take any action to be invited.