RIVM European Reference Lab for vector-borne infections The European Commission (EC) has designated RIVM as the current European Reference Lab (EURL) for vector-borne viral pathogens.
Menno de Jong appointed director of RIVM Centre for Infectious Disease Control Starting 1 May 2024, Professor Menno de Jong will take on the role of director of RIVM’s Centre for Infectious Disease Control (CIb) . He succeeds Jaap van Dissel, who is retiring in April 2024.
Predicting who will experience symptoms after Lyme disease remains challenging Each year, approximately 27,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease. For most, the symptoms disappear after treatment with antibiotics. Unfortunately, 25% of those treated have chronic symptoms, such as fatigue, concentration disorders or pain.
No changes to chromium (VI) adverse health effect list No changes will be made to the list of adverse health effects that may be caused by exposure to chromium (VI) in the workplace. According to RIVM, the latest scientific literature has resulted in no new insights.
Number of Lyme disease diagnoses remains high In 2021, the number of Lyme disease diagnoses with a red ring or rash– known as an erythema migrans, or EM – remained as high as in the previous survey in 2017. GPs diagnosed 25,600 patients with a red ring or rash caused by the Lyme bacteria.
Night shift workers more likely to have poor work-life balance People who work at night are more than 2.5 times more likely to have a poor work-life balance. They find it more difficult to combine their jobs and private lives than people who only work in daytime. This is one of the results of a study by RIVM and TNO.
RIVM and TNO describe impact of future developments on occupational health and safety RIVM and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) have investigated the potential impact of developments in the next 20 years on occupational health and safety. How will artificial intelligence affect safety at work? iStock
Safe working practices: RIVM creates a list of 1,400 substances without a European occupational exposure limit for health purposes Employees sometimes come into contact with hazardous substances at work. RIVM has compiled a list of 1,400 hazardous substances for which the European Commission has not yet set an occupational exposure limit.
NS did not adequately protect employees from exposure to chromium (VI) Employees of Dutch Railways (NS) may have been exposed to chromium (VI) between 1970 and 2020. Although it is not known exactly how often or how much this occurred, it is reasonable to assume that NS employees who were exposed to chromium (VI) may develop certain medical conditions.
New test for Lyme disease is not reliable To determine whether someone has Lyme disease, doctors in the Netherlands often use antibody tests. For some time now, so-called cellular tests have been available on the market.