The health authorities of the City of Utrecht (Netherlands) strengthen the measles vaccination campaign, mumps and rubella (Ror) as the summer holidays approached. Particular attention is paid to the districts of Overvecht and Kanaleneiland, where many families resident planning to go to Morocco, according to Dutch media.
Fearing that non-vaccinated children contract measles abroad and import the highly contagious virus in the Netherlands, the municipality has set up additional vaccination sessions without appointment. Flyers and multilingual information letters are also distributed, to direct families to infant health centers.
The local alderman in charge of health, Eelco Eerenberg (D66), specifies that this initiative is part of a wider strategy aimed at stopping the continuous decline in vaccination rates in the city, especially among families of Moroccan origin. Currently, 9% of two -year -old children in Utrecht have received no vaccine from the national program – an upward figure for the sixth consecutive year.
This reinforced campaign comes as Morocco faces a marked resurgence of measles cases in 2025, pushing local authorities to launch emergency vaccination campaigns. In addition, several recent cases of the virus recorded in the Netherlands were directly linked to infections contracted during stays in Morocco.
