First patient infected by tick-borne encephalitis virus For the first time, a person in the Netherlands has fallen ill after a bite from a tick carrying the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBE virus).
Less air pollution from traffic and industry but increased contribution from agriculture International air policy has shown good results in Europe: in the past 35 years the air has become cleaner. Nevertheless air pollution is still an important cause of premature death.
Lab tests alone not conclusive for diagnosis of Lyme disease Lyme disease can cause a variety of complaints in patients. Laboratory tests for the disease can support medical practitioners in making a diagnosis but are not necessarily conclusive.
More tobacco products, number of additives stable In 2014, the number of tobacco products on the Dutch market increased to 4212. This is a 5 percent increase compared to 2013.
Eating less salt can prevent tens of thousands of heart attacks and strokes Lowering the amount of salt in processed foods or choosing low-salt alternatives can lead to substantial health benefits when it comes to cardiovascular disease.
Large differences in childhood obesity in Europe The percentage of overweight (including obesity) among 6-9-year-old children differs between European countries, ranging from 18 to 57%. Percentages are highest in southern European countries.
Major loss of healthy life years due to long-term complaints after Lyme disease The Netherlands is the first country where the burden of disease due to Lyme disease has been determined.
Icy air measurements Bernice Notenboom’s Arctic March expedition team has reached the summit of Greenland. She has conquered the 3500-metre high summit on Greenland with functioning air measuring equipment.
Climate reporter Bernice Notenboom arrives in Greenland for continuation of climate expedition Climate reporter and expedition leader Bernice Notenboom and her team left for Greenland on 4 May 2015 for the second part of the Arctic March.
Increase in number of additives in tobacco products A total of 673 different types of additives are used by manufacturers in their tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco) and the number of additives used per tobacco product type incre