The Health Council advises against offering programmatic dengue vaccination to residents of the BES (Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba) and CAS (Curaçao, Aruba and St Maarten) islands, as it is unclear whether the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks.
Every year, an estimated 96 million people worldwide contract dengue, also known as breakbone fever. The virus is transmitted by the yellow fever mosquito and, to a lesser extent, the tiger mosquito. There are no reports of dengue caused by these mosquitoes in the European Netherlands, but they are known to transmit the virus in the Dutch Caribbean islands. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport has asked the Health Council of the Netherlands for advice on programmatic dengue vaccination for residents of the BES (Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba) and CAS (Curaçao, Aruba and St Maarten) islands.
The Health Council advises against offering programmatic dengue vaccination, as it is unclear whether the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks. It is uncertain whether the vaccine is effective against all types of dengue virus, and there are uncertainties about its safety, particularly in dengue-naïve individuals.