Campylobacter bacteria are an important public health problem in the Netherlands. Annually, they cause approximately 100,000 cases of gastro-enteritis, 6000 cases of reactive athritis, 60 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome and several dozens of fatal cases.

Chicken meat is an important but not the only source of human exposure. Campylobacter occurs widely in farm animals, in surface water, on raw vegetables and in fish products. Many Dutch inhabitants are infected during travel abroad.

CARMA aims to compare the importance of these different routes of exposure. For the chicken meat route, the costs and effects of possible intervention measures will be extensively evaluated.

For this purpose, all relevant information has been collected and integrated in mathematical and economic models. Attention has also been paid to the perception of different stakeholders of the Campylobacter problem and possible solutions.

All information has been presented to the Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.

Do you have questions or remarks concerning CARMA? E-mail the project leader Arie.Havelaar@rivm.nl