Spread of tick-borne encephalitis virus in the Netherlands Every year about 1.5 million ticks bite someone in the Netherlands, especially between March and October. Most people will not get sick of that.
Environmental radioactivity in the Netherlands : Results in 2017 RIVM reports annually on the level of radioactivity that occurs under normal circumstances in the environment and food.
Tick found in Drenthe is a Hyalomma tick RIVM has investigated the so-called giant tick that was found in Odoorn in the province of Drenthe on 13 July. It is a Hyalomma marginatum female.
Updated immunisation recommendation for measles: early vaccination before travel A number of European countries are currently seeing outbreaks of measles. Before the start of the summer season, RIVM has therefore updated its immunisation recommendation for measles.
Rubber granulate on synthetic turf fields causes environmental impact Use of rubber granulate sourced from car tyres, on synthetic turf fields can be harmful to the environment in the close vicinity of these fields.
New test has no added value in Lyme disease of the central nervous system Active Lyme disease of the central nervous system cannot be detected with an ELISpot test.
Risk of measles outbreaks increases with decreasing vaccination coverage Vaccination coverage for vaccinations in the Dutch National Vaccination Program (NIP) decreased slightly by about half a percent for the third consecutive year.
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.
Scientific background information on rubber granulate now available in English In December 2016, RIVM published in Dutch the results of its research into the health risks of playing sports on synthetic turf pitches with rubber granulate.