Water Safety Plan training at RIVM From 26 – 28 June 2017, Harold van den Berg (RIVM) and Giuliana Ferrero (UNESCO-IHE) conducted a training to explain the Water Safety Plan (WSP) approach of the World Health Organization (WHO) and
Water Quality Monitoring Training for project SMALL in Mozambique The project SMALL aims at supporting the development of applicable and sustainable water and sanitation provision models for small towns of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Ethiopian delegation visits RIVM A delegation from the Ethiopian Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Electricity visited RIVM on May 30th 2017. Mutual interests were discussed and also future collaborative activities.
Alertness about the Zika virus still needed for pregnant women Since May 2015, there has been a Zika virus outbreak in South and Central America, including the Caribbean. The Zika virus can cause birth defects, including microcephaly (small head size).
Lyme disease costs EUR 20 million annually The societal costs of Lyme disease have been determined for the Netherlands for the first time. The disease appears to cost nearly EUR 20 million each year.
Every year, 300,000 tick bites in urban areas One in 5 tick bites occurs in an urban area. Although most tick bites occur in the countryside, many people are bitten in urban areas as well.
Training on Water Safety Plans by Unesco-IHE and RIVM in Suriname The Suriname Water Company (SWM) recently started the implementation of Water Safety Plans (WSPs). The inception phase included a tailor-made training by Dr. Giuliana Ferrero (UNESCO-IHE) and Mr.
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.
Interspecies website transferred from RIVM to Utrecht University The Interspecies website which helps researchers to reduce and refine the use of laboratory animals is transferred to the 3Rs database Programme of the 3Rs-Centre Utrecht Life Sciences (ULS) of Utr