The National Immunisation Programme protects children against 13 serious infectious diseases. Since it is organised by the government of the Netherlands, it is called the National Immunisation Programme. Participation is free for all children aged 18 and under. Vaccination is voluntary in the Netherlands. As a parent, you choose whether to have your child vaccinated.
Every country in the world has a programme to vaccinate children. In the Netherlands, the National Immunisation Programme has existed for over 65 years. The vaccination schedule shows how old your child will be for each vaccination.
In the Netherlands, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) is responsible for the National Immunisation Programme. The Minister decides which vaccinations are offered to children. The decision is based on advisory decisions provided by the Health Council of the Netherlands. The pharmaceutical companies make the vaccines, but they do not decide which diseases are targeted by the vaccinations in the National Immunisation Programme. They do not have any influence on the Minister’s decision.
Registering vaccines
A vaccine is considered a medicinal product. That means that its safety must first be assessed by the Medicines Evaluation Board (CBG-MEB) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Before approval, the pharmaceutical company that makes the vaccine has to prove that the vaccine is effective and safe. A vaccine cannot be used until after it has been approved by the EMA or the CBG-MEB.
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has been commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) to organise the National Immunisation Programme. RIVM purchases vaccines for the National Immunisation Programme through a European tender. In this public procurement procedure, RIVM describes the conditions that the vaccine must meet.
The vaccinations are given by the doctor and nurse at the well-baby clinics operated by the Centres for Youth and Family (CJG) and the Municipal Public Health Services (GGDs). If you receive an invitation for your child to be vaccinated, the invitation states the name and address of where the vaccination will be given. RIVM keeps records of all vaccinations, in part to monitor how many children in the Netherlands are vaccinated. This is important so we know how well people in the Netherlands are protected against infectious diseases.
Year |
Vaccination |
---|---|
1953 |
Vaccination against diphtheria |
1954 |
Combined vaccine against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus |
1957 |
Start of the National Immunisation Programme |
1957 |
Vaccination against polio |
1962 |
Combined vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio for infants |
1965 |
Combined vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and polio for children aged 4 years and 9 years |
1974 |
Vaccination against rubella for girls aged 11 years |
1976 |
Vaccination against measles |
1987 |
Combined vaccine against mumps, measles and rubella (boys and girls) |
1993 |
Vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae type b disease (Hib) |
1999 |
Age at which vaccination starts lowered from three to two months |
2001 |
Revaccination against whooping cough for children aged 4 years with acellular vaccine |
2002 |
Vaccination against meningococcal C disease (for children born on or after 1 June 2001) |
2003 |
Vaccination against hepatitis B for at-risk children |
2003 |
Combined vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Hib disease (DTP-IPV-Hib) |
2005 |
DTP-IPV-Hib for infants replaced by DTaP-IPV-Hib (using acellular vaccine against whooping cough) |
2006 |
Vaccination against hepatitis B within 48 hours of birth for babies born to mothers with hepatitis B |
2006 |
Combined vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Hib disease and hepatitis B for at-risk children |
2006 |
Vaccination against pneumococcal disease (7 types) |
2006 |
Combined vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio for children aged 4 years |
2008 |
Vaccination against hepatitis B for children with Down’s syndrome |
2010 |
Vaccination against cervical cancer for girls aged 12 years (born in or after 1997) |
2011 |
Vaccination against pneumococcal disease expanded from 7 to 10 types |
2011 |
Vaccination against hepatitis B for all babies (born on or after 1 August 2011) |
2013 |
Vaccination against pneumococcal disease (10 types) streamlined from 4 to 3 vaccine doses |
2014 |
Vaccination against HPV streamlined from 3 to 2 vaccine doses |
2018 | Protection offered by meningococcal vaccine expanded to four types of meningococcal bacteria: A, C, W and Y |
2019 | Maternal whooping cough vaccination during pregnancy (22-week vaccination) |
2020 | Vaccination against meningococcal disease types A, C, W and Y for all children aged 14 years |
2022 | HPV vaccination for boys, and at an earlier age for girls |
2024 | Vaccination against rotavirus for babies |
2025 | Four changes to the vaccination schedule |