Surveillance and vaccine effectiveness of pertussis, the Netherlands, 2012 to 2024, with an unprecedented surge in 2023 and 2024
van Roon, Annika van Meijeren, Dimphey de Gier, Brechje te Wierik, Margreet de Melker, Hester
van Roon, Annika
van Meijeren, Dimphey
de Gier, Brechje
te Wierik, Margreet
de Melker, Hester
Series / Report no.
Open Access
Type
Article
Language
en
Date of publication
2026-03-05
Year of publication
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Title
Surveillance and vaccine effectiveness of pertussis, the Netherlands, 2012 to 2024, with an unprecedented surge in 2023 and 2024
Translated Title
Published in
Eurosurveillance 2026; 31(15); 2500919
Abstract
BACKGROUND
A surge in pertussis occurred in the Netherlands in 2023–24. Infant vaccination uptake decreased from 95% in 2011 to ca 86% in 2024. Maternal vaccination was introduced in 2019, with uptake ca 70%.
AIM
To describe pertussis epidemiological trends in the Netherlands.
METHODS
We conducted a retrospective study using pertussis notification data from 2012 to 2024 and estimated infant and maternal vaccine effectiveness (VE) with the screening method.
RESULTS
During the COVID-19 pandemic, pertussis notifications dropped from ca 6,000 in 2013–19 to 79 in 2021 (incidence ca 35 to < 0.01/100,000 population). Notifications surged from May 2023, peaking in March 2024, resulting in 18,208 notifications in 2024 (102/100,000). Notifications and hospitalisations in 2024 were highest among infants aged 0–5 months (573 and 304/100,000) followed by infants aged 6–11 months (446 and 92/100,000). Annually, 0–2 deaths were reported; in 2023–24, 10 deaths were reported (6 infants, 4 ≥ 60-year-olds). In 2024, 83% of mothers of notified infants aged 0–2 months were unvaccinated. In 2020–24, maternal VE against pertussis in infants aged 0–2 months was 91%. In 2012–24 primary series VE was 98% at age 1, 92% at age 3, 92% post-booster at age 5, and 71% at age 9 years.
CONCLUSION
Low population immunity after 2 years of reduced circulation likely contributed to the highest pertussis incidence ever recorded in the Netherlands, posing a particular threat to unprotected infants. Maternal and infant VE are high, underscoring the public health priority of enhancing vaccination uptake.