Many Ukrainians are accommodated on the Bible Belt.
(image anp / rob Engelaar)
Bilthoven
Poliomyelitis, also known as polio, has not occurred in the Netherlands for years. The last outbreak was in 1992 and 1993 and affected people who were not vaccinated for religious reasons. Vaccination rates in reformed communities are still low: about 50 to 60 percent are vaccinated against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and polio (DKTP). Reason to be alert, according to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). Especially now that many Ukrainian refugees are being accommodated in the Bible Belt.
At the end of 2021, two people with polio were reported in Ukraine, says Marah Michel, spokesman for the RIVM. “It is difficult to say how big the polio outbreak in Ukraine has been. We know that per patient with paralysis..