DR ‹ › A measles outbreak that occurred in March at a primary school in Almere has been linked to a family holiday to Morocco, according to the findings of an investigation by the Municipal Health Service (GGD). The outbreak affected 24 pupils at the school, a higher number than initially reported at the time, local media revealed. The school, which has chosen to remain anonymous, counts around 450 students, of whom approximately 100 were not vaccinated against measles. Several of these unvaccinated children contracted the disease during the outbreak. The investigation also identified ten additional measles cases connected to the school, involving family members of infected pupils, confirming the wider spread beyond the classroom. In response to the outbreak, the primary school was closed for several days as a precautionary measure. Following the incident, 13 students were vaccinated against measles. This incident follows other recent measles outbreaks in the Netherlands linked to travel to Morocco. Earlier this year, an Islamic primary school in Rotterdam was temporarily closed after dozens of students fell ill following a pupil's return from Morocco during the spring break. Dutch health authorities said the child likely contracted the virus amid a large-scale outbreak in Morocco, which has recorded around 20,000 cases over the past year and a half and prompted a nationwide vaccination campaign. Similar travel-linked measles cases have also been reported in France, Spain, and Belgium.
