The Dutch government only wants to allow 23 e-cigarette flavourings with a tobacco-taste. RIVM examined whether these 23 flavourings are harmful to people’s health.

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.

People who occasionally or regularly work at night are 37% more likely to test positive for coronavirus than people who only work during the daytime. This is one of the conclusions of a study by the RIVM (Netherlands).

The BA.5 variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was detected for the first time in the Netherlands this week.

In the long-term approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dutch government is assigning a key role to civil society and private citizens. When asked what their priorities are in that context, the answer was to prevent delays in surgical interventions.

Participation in the vaccinations against mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) and diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus and polio) (DTaP-IPV) has decreased slightly among infants (-1%).

Since this week, the Omicron subvariant BA.2 has caused the most infections in the Netherlands. 1,149 patients with a SARS-CoV-2 infection were admitted to hospital in the Netherlands in the past week*, a decrease of 18% compared to the week before t

Last week*, 1,266 patients with a SARS-CoV-2 infection were admitted to hospital in the Netherlands, an increase of 7% compared to the week before that.

Last week*, 530,015 positive COVID-19 tests were reported to RIVM**. That is an increase of 45% compared to the week before that. The number of new hospital admissions rose by 11% in the past week. ICU admissions rose by 18%.