Last winter’s flu epidemic was short and mild. And then COVID-19 arrived. The flu epidemic in the winter of 2019/2020 was mild and lasted only 5 weeks.
Improvement of air quality continues In 2019, the calculated concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10) were below the European limit values in almost the whole of the Netherlands. Locally, the limit value for nitrogen dioxide is still being exceeded.
Interim injunction decision Nitrogen In an interim injunction proceeding between Mesdag Zuivelfonds, Stichting Stikstofclaim and RIVM, the court has ruled that RIVM must decide on the availability and disclosure of data before 1 Janua
Exploratory RIVM calculations of nitrogen measures The Dutch government announced its plans for the first steps in tackling the nitrogen deposition issue.
New edition of Dutch food composition database NEVO-online: compositional data on more than 2150 food items The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment published a new edition of the Dutch food composition database (NEVO). This 2019 edition contains nutrient data for over 2150 food items. Values for 133 components (proteins, fats, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals) are available.
EU air policy gives an average of 6 extra years of life in the Netherlands Since the 1970s, European policies to improve air quality have resulted in fewer emissions in many countries.
Openness about nitrogen There is concern about the current approach to nitrogen and the proposed measures; these concerns have been expressed in Dutch society as a whole and amongst farmers in particular.
Mild 2018-2019 influenza epidemic The annual influenza epidemic in the winter of 2018-2019 was less severe than the year before. Approximately 400,000 people have had the flu.
Dutch air quality shows little improvement in 2017 In 2017, concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter in most parts of the Netherlands were below European limit values.
The Dutch Diet is slightly healthier Recent years show a cautious improvement in the Dutch diet. The Dutch have started to eat more fruit and it seems to be heading in the right direction with vegetables.