Eating less salt can prevent tens of thousands of heart attacks and strokes Lowering the amount of salt in processed foods or choosing low-salt alternatives can lead to substantial health benefits when it comes to cardiovascular disease.
Flu season in the winter of 2014 / 2015 more severe and longer than preceding years The flu epidemic in the winter of 2014 / 2015 lasted 21 weeks and as such was the longest epidemic ever recorded in the Netherlands. Nearly two million people suffered from flu-like symptoms.
The number of STI tests keeps increasing The number of clients tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at Dutch STI clinics has increased since 2004.
Increase in number of additives in tobacco products A total of 673 different types of additives are used by manufacturers in their tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco) and the number of additives used per tobacco product type incre
Metals in tobacco harmful to health Growing tobacco plants acquire metals from soil, fertilisers, and industrial pollution. Smoking liberates some of these metals from tobacco into smoke to be inhaled by the smoker and bystanders.
RIVM writes Novel Tobacco Products paper for WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI) has just published a Report of the WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (TobReg).
Harmful substances in e-cigarettes assessed While e-cigarettes are less harmful to health than tobacco cigarettes, the vapour from an e-cigarette contains substances and chemical impurities in concentrations that could be detrimental to heal
Lower salt contents in some foods, but similar saturated fat contents Some foods contain less salt in 2014 compared with 2011. According to research by RIVM the salt content of bread was 21 percent lower in 2011.
Chikungunya infections in the Caribbean region Since August 2014, there has been an increase in the number of Chikungunya patients in the Caribbean region. Travellers who visit the region can become infected there.
RIVM investigates dangers of e-cigarette At the request of State Secretary Martin van Rijn (VWS), RIVM is carrying out an investigation into the safety of e-cigarettes.