In 2023 and 2024, an increasing number of people in the Netherlands fell ill as a result of salmonella. This was reported by RIVM in its State of Infectious Diseases, an annual report that provides an overview of the most notable epidemiological developments in the field of infectious diseases. There were also more people suffering from diseases such as mumps, measles, and whooping cough, and the downward trend in HIV cases came to an end in 2024.
Notable trend continues: significantly more people with salmonella
The Salmonella Enteritidis bacteria caused a significant increase in people with a salmonella infection in 2024. There was also a corresponding increase in the number of poultry farms where salmonella was found. This increases the risk of people eating contaminated food and becoming ill. RIVM issued an advisory opinion to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), and the poultry sector took measures to reduce the number of salmonella infections in chickens.
More reported cases of mumps, measles and whooping cough
The percentage of vaccinated infants and toddlers appears to be lower in the last reporting year than in the year before that. For some time now, the Netherlands has been unable to achieve the target level of vaccinating at least 95% of children against mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR vaccination).
In 2024, there were also more reported cases of infectious diseases such as measles, whooping cough, and mumps. These are diseases which are covered by vaccinations in the National Immunisation Programme. The high number of reported mumps cases was the result of an outbreak in the Dutch region informally known as the Bible Belt. 2024 saw the highest number of reported cases of measles since 2013, and the highest number of reported cases of whooping cough since the start of mandatory reporting in 1976. The spike in whooping cough cases was probably mainly due to limited protection against this infectious disease due to low exposure during the COVID-19 years.
Downward trend in HIV diagnoses halted
The long-standing downward trend in the number of people newly diagnosed with HIV in HIV treatment centres has come to a halt. The higher number of people diagnosed with HIV in sexual health centres in 2024 probably contributed to this. These were mainly men who had sex with men. Additional analyses by the HIV Monitoring Foundation predict that the number of new HIV infections will increase in the upcoming years. It is unclear why people seem to be protecting themselves less effectively against HIV.
Calculating burden of disease
The burden of disease indicates the number of years that people cannot live in good health due to a disease. In 2024, the burden of disease from COVID-19 was reduced by half compared to 2023, which was already reduced by half compared to 2022. In 2024, COVID-19 was still the cause of the highest burden of disease in the Netherlands. For the first time, its burden of disease was roughly the same as that of influenza. Calculations of the burden of disease from post-COVID are still ongoing.
About the State of Infectious Diseases
Each year, RIVM provides an overview of key trends in the field of infectious diseases in the Netherlands, and, if relevant for the Netherlands, in other countries. The State of Infectious Diseases in the Netherlands is used by RIVM to inform policymakers and others.