Since January, more than 160,000 young people between the ages of 18 and 27 have made an appointment with the GGD for an HPV shot. This is a vaccination against the human papilloma virus, which can cause cancer of the cervix, but also of the mouth and throat, penis, anus and vagina.
In January, on the advice of the Health Council, RIVM started catching up for young people in this age group. They can have the two injections done for free this year. Normally that costs almost 400 euros.
This age group comprises more than 1.2 million young people. The RIVM says that it is urgent. There must be at least five months between the first and second shot. This Saturday, young people can walk in at one of the 45 GGD locations without an appointment to have the first injection.
Since 2010 girls can get an HPV shot in the year they turn 10, boys since last year too. Boys and girls aged 10 to 18 who have not yet had an injection will receive a letter from youth health care with an appointment.
Slight decrease in other vaccinations
Preliminary figures for the MMR vaccination (mumps, measles and rubella) and the DPTP vaccination (diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and polio) in babies show a slight decrease in vaccination coverage. The proportion of babies who received an MMR vaccination according to the RIVM registration fell from 92.9 percent to 89.5 percent last year, the share of babies receiving DKTP vaccinations from 94 percent to 92.9 percent.
The RIVM has no explanation for this. It is true that since last year parents can have their child vaccinated anonymously, and those vaccinations cannot be included in the participation figures. The effect of covid may also play a role. European research shows that public confidence in vaccines has declined in several countries since 2020. In the Netherlands, confidence fell from 84.5 percent to 75.5 percent.
NOS op 3 explains exactly what that virus is, and why boys have also been called on to get vaccinated since 2021:
The STD that almost everyone gets
- Catching up HPV vaccination, with over 2 million invitations
- Vaccination program expanded, boys can now also receive vaccine against HPV cancer
