THE HAGUE/ KRALENDIJK – There will be no dengue vaccination programme for the Caribbean islands of the Kingdom in the foreseeable future. This is the advice issued by the Health Council to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS). According to the Council, there are still too many uncertainties regarding the vaccine’s efficacy and safety.

The Health Council states that it remains unclear whether the current vaccine provides sufficient protection against all variants of the dengue virus. There are also concerns about safety, particularly for people who have never previously been infected with dengue.

As a result, the Council considers it uncertain whether the benefits of vaccination outweigh the potential risks.

Continued monitoring
The Council recommends closely tracking infection rates among both children and adults. New data may provide grounds for revising the advice in the future.

New information about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, or the introduction of an alternative dengue vaccine, could also be reason to reconsider a vaccination programme.

The full advisory report, entitled Vaccination against dengue in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (2026/03), has been published on the Health Council’s website.