RIVM and EFSA optimise new calculation model for mixture risk assessment Plant protection products (PPPs) are products used in agriculture to protect crops against, for example, fungi, insects and weeds.
Participation rates in cancer population screening programmes continue to decline The number of participants in the population screening programmes for breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer continues to decline. This decline has been going on for years, reaching its lowest point in 2020.
Healthy Living Environment programme launched The goal of the Healthy Living Environment programme (Programma Gezonde Leefomgeving, PGLO) is a healthy living environment for all. A healthy living environment is one that is clean and safe, protects against health risks and encourages exercise and socialising.
Strong interest among schools in incentive to promote healthy and sustainable eating Schools are highly interested in the promotional incentive of a programme teaching young children to eat healthy from a young age. The incentive is called ‘Let’s go outside for tasty food!’ or Lekker naar buiten! in Dutch. 2,273 schools applied for the funding over a three year period.
Launch of crisis response organisation LFI boosts pandemic preparedness On 2 October, Minister Kuipers of Health, Welfare and Sport launched a new crisis response organisation under the RIVM umbrella: the National Functionality for Scaling up Infectious Disease Control (LFI). The reason for setting up the LFI is the risk that the Netherlands will once again be confronted with a large-scale outbreak of an infectious disease.
Metabolic disorder ALD added to newborn blood spot screening Since 1 October, the metabolic disorder adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) has been added to the Dutch newborn blood spot screening. From now on, the blood of newborn boys will also be tested for this disorder. ALD in boys can be treated if it is detected in time.
Booster vaccination invitations for care workers Hospitals are already working hard to vaccinate their own care workers.
Stabilisation in newly reported SARS-CoV-2 infections The number of newly reported infections with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 stabilised in the past week*. The number of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital stabilised, but ICU admissions continued to increase.
Omicron variant found in two previous test samples RIVM has found the Omicron variant in test samples taken in the Netherlands earlier in November. These samples were taken in the GGD test lanes on 19 and 23 November 2021.
Coronavirus variant Omicron found in 13 positive tests so far On 26 November 2021, 624 passengers returning from South Africa were tested for the coronavirus; 61 of them tested positive for COVID-19. Initial results from genome sequencing showed the Omicron variant in 13 of the samples from the positive tests.