Health minister Hugo de Jonge has criticised television current affairs show Buitenhof for inviting a homeopath who believes vaccinations cause health problems in children to take part in a discussion about the inoculation programme.

Earlier this year, health officials warned that the Netherlands has fallen under the 95% norm set for measles vaccinations, giving rise for calls to change the rules to allow daycare centres to ban children who have not been vaccinated.

Kraakheldere en overtuigende stellingname van jeugdarts @M1Kamphuis. Maar waarom keer op keer een podium voor bangmakende antivax-verhalen? Medische wetenschap is niet ‘ook maar een mening’, antivax-verhalen zijn niet onschuldig. Álle kinderen verdienen bescherming. #ikvaccineer https://t.co/w4tQfJxQx8

— Hugo de Jonge (@hugodejonge) November 4, 2018

De Jonge praised paediatrician Mascha Kamphuis who challenged anti-vaccine campaigner Anne-Marie van Raaij but went on to say: ‘Why do we offer a platform time after time to fear-mongering anti-vax stories,’ he said. ‘Medical science is not simply “an opinion” and anti-vax stories are not blame-free. All children deserve protection.’

Last year 90% of two year-olds in the Netherlands were vaccinated against measles. Dutch children are offered the multi-vaccination, which includes protection against mumps and rubella as well, at fourteen months and nine years old.