Large increase in legionellosis in the Netherlands The Municipal Public Health Services (GGD) received 561 reports of legionellosis over the past year. Never before has RIVM registered as many reports of this disease as in the past year.
Meningococcal type W most notable infectious disease in 2017 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
Animal-free innovations in safety assessment of chemicals How can the process of validation, acceptance and use of animal-free innovative approaches to assess the safety of chemicals be facilitated?
Vaccination rate again drops slightly, HPV vaccination rate drops considerably The vaccination rate for vaccines included in the National Immunisation Programme has dropped slightly by about 1 percent.
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).
Health effects due to titanium nanoparticles in food and toothpaste cannot be excluded Health effects due to exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles via food, food supplements and toothpaste cannot be excluded.
Need for circular use of materials in construction Construction and demolition waste are being recycled on a large scale to use as a foundation for e.g. roads, but recycled building materials are hardly ever used in the construction of buildings.
Tool for risk assessment of nanomaterials in cosmetics Both regulators and manufacturers need to evaluate and manage consumer health risks that may be posed by the use of nanomaterials in cosmetics.
Nanotechnology increasingly used in medical devices The application of nanotechnology to design and produce medical devices is increasing. RIVM provides an overview of nanotechnology enabled medical devices.
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.