GPs feel more personalised care for chronically ill patients was useful during coronavirus pandemic During the coronavirus pandemic, GPs had to take over some of the tasks of hospitals and mental healthcare providers.
From 1 October 2023, heel prick test also screens for metabolic disorder ALD From 1 October 2023, the blood of newborn babies will also be tested for the metabolic disorder adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). This is done with the heel prick screening test.
Post-COVID less common after Omicron infection After a SARS-CoV-2 infection involving Omicron, 1 in 10 people still have symptoms three months later. This is almost 2 times lower than after an infection involving the Delta variant. This is evident from new results of the LongCOVID study at RIVM. There is variation in the frequency of specific post-COVID symptoms after an infection with the Omicron or Delta variant.
Decrease in visits to GP only during first wave of COVID-19 crisis During the first wave of infections in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 crisis (March–June 2020), the total number of visits to the GP was 11% lower than during the same period in 2019.
More than 1 in 5 young people had suicidal thoughts during last lockdown More than 1 in 5 young people (22%) between the ages of 12 and 25 years seriously thought about ending their lives between December 2021 and February 2022. A lockdown was in effect in the Netherlands at that time.
From 1 June 2022, heel prick test also screens for muscle disease SMA, bringing number of screened diseases to 26 From 1 June 2022, the heel prick test for Dutch newborns will also screen for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). SMA is a serious hereditary muscle condition. Detecting this disease at an early stage enables early treatment.
Tailor-made information will help immigrants make decisions on taking part in screening programmes Immigrants are relatively less likely to take part in preventive screening programmes, such as cancer screening. This is partly due to the language barrier and a lack of knowledge, according to a doctoral thesis by Nora Hamdiui.
People who work at night are more likely to get infected with coronavirus People who occasionally or regularly work at night are 37% more likely to test positive for coronavirus than people who only work during the daytime. This is one of the conclusions of a study by the RIVM (Netherlands).
Number of positive COVID-19 tests more than doubled within two weeks In the last week from 19 to 26 October 2021, 50% more people tested positive for COVID-19 compared to the week before. Reported figures increased in all regions and in all age groups.
Sewage treatment workers not more likely to carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria Employees at sewage and wastewater treatment plants in the Netherlands and Germany are not more likely to carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria than other people. Unie van Waterschappen