Respiratory infections now in season More and more people are coughing and sneezing, although it is not an epidemic at this point. The season in which respiratory infections circulate in the Netherlands has now started. There are various viruses that can cause respiratory infections.
RSV summer peak possibly caused by declining antibodies during COVID-19 pandemic RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common virus that causes cold symptoms. In particularly, young children and vulnerable older people are more likely to become seriously ill if they get it.
High rates of RSV in children over the summer, and a late flu epidemic in the 2021-2022 season Hospitals reported an unusually large number of children presenting with RSV over the summer of 2021. The number of positive coronavirus tests rapidly increased after the summer of 2021.
Better monitoring of RSV thanks to new European project RIVM and Nivel contribute to building a European RSV monitoring network. Through the network, European health institutions and laboratories will exchange data on the spread of RSV. This will help us to better monitor the virus.
Can you solve a medical mystery? During World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2019, RIVM has set up an escape room in one of busiest shopping malls in the Netherlands.
Slightly fewer adult smokers In 2018, 22.4 per cent of the Dutch adult population indicated they were occasional smokers.
Biosafety and Biosecurity on the Global Health Security Agenda Since 2018, the Netherlands leads the way in the field of "Biosafety and Biosecurity" within the international Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA).
Global Infectious Disease Control hampered by the CBD Nagoya Protocol So far, none of the models used by international networks of biobanks to arrange the legal responsibility under the CBD-Nagoya protocol works efficiently.
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).
Bacteria slightly more often resistant to last resort antibiotics Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem. In the Netherlands, some bacteria that can cause infections in people are more frequently resistant to antibiotics used as a last resort.