From 1 June 2022, the heel prick test for Dutch newborns will also screen for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). SMA is a serious hereditary muscle condition. Detecting this disease at an early stage enables early treatment.

Immigrants are relatively less likely to take part in preventive screening programmes, such as cancer screening. This is partly due to the language barrier and a lack of knowledge, according to a doctoral thesis by Nora Hamdiui.

Women aged 50 to 75 years on Bonaire can participate in the breast cancer screening programme again as of Wednesday, May 26, 2021. This was temporarily halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a protocol for global One Health surveillance of antimicrobial resistance based on one indicator, Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase producing E.

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the health care capacity in the Netherlands is expected to come under severe pressure in the coming period.

During World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2019, RIVM has set up an escape room in one of busiest shopping malls in the Netherlands.

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.

From mid-September, young people born between 1 May and 31 December 2004 will receive an invitation for a vaccination against meningococcal disease.

The report ‘State of Infectious Diseases in the Netherlands in 2017’ published by RIVM today, provides an overview of the most important developments in infectious diseases in the Netherlands and a

RIVM’s Collaborating Centre for Risk Assessment of Pathogens in Food and Water was invited to WHO’s side event during the 41st Codex Alimentarius Commission on July 4th 2018.