Flu jab for additional groups The flu jab is offered free of charge every year to people aged 60 years and older, and to people who are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from the flu virus due to medical reasons
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.
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.
Antimicrobial resistance in the Netherlands is remaining reasonably stable Antimicrobial resistance is increasing on a global level. It is difficult to treat infections caused by resistant bacteria.
Slightly fewer adult smokers In 2018, 22.4 per cent of the Dutch adult population indicated they were occasional smokers.
Young people who use screens before sleeping have more sleep problems Young people (13-18 years) who use light-emitting screens daily in the hour before going to sleep have more sleep problems.
Influenza-like Illness Incidence Is Not Reduced by Influenza Vaccination Influenza vaccination reduces the number of influenza virus infections but not the overall number of illness.
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).
Less salt in certain foods, sugar contents remain unchanged The salt content in bread was on average 19 percent lower compared to 2011. In addition, certain types of sauces, soups, canned vegetables and pulses, and crisps had a lower salt content.
Guus Velders in Nature's "Ten people that mattered this year" Researcher Dr Guus Velders of RIVM has made the Nature top-10 list of 2016. This means that, according to Nature, he was one of the 10 most influential scientists in 2016.