From mid-September, young people born between 1 May and 31 December 2004 will receive an invitation for a vaccination against meningococcal disease.

The vaccination rate for vaccines included in the National Immunisation Programme has dropped slightly by about 1 percent.

As of 1 January 2017, the disorders alpha and beta thalassaemia will be added to the neonatal blood spot (‘heel prick’) screening programme.

On 26 October 2015, heel prick screening started for all newborns on St Eustatius and Saba.

In November 2014 avian ‘flu has been detected on poultry farms in the Netherlands.