RIVM European Reference Lab for vector-borne infections The European Commission (EC) has designated RIVM as the current European Reference Lab (EURL) for vector-borne viral pathogens.
Menno de Jong appointed director of RIVM Centre for Infectious Disease Control Starting 1 May 2024, Professor Menno de Jong will take on the role of director of RIVM’s Centre for Infectious Disease Control (CIb) . He succeeds Jaap van Dissel, who is retiring in April 2024.
Predicting who will experience symptoms after Lyme disease remains challenging Each year, approximately 27,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease. For most, the symptoms disappear after treatment with antibiotics. Unfortunately, 25% of those treated have chronic symptoms, such as fatigue, concentration disorders or pain.
Number of Lyme disease diagnoses remains high In 2021, the number of Lyme disease diagnoses with a red ring or rash– known as an erythema migrans, or EM – remained as high as in the previous survey in 2017. GPs diagnosed 25,600 patients with a red ring or rash caused by the Lyme bacteria.
Smokers inhale more tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide when measured with WHO method RIVM has measured the amount of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide (TNCO) in all filter cigarettes sold in the Netherlands with the WHO Intense method.
Darker cigarettes and other measures to make cigarettes less appealing There are a number of measures that can be implemented to make cigarettes less appealing and less addictive. For example, manufacturers could make cigarettes a darker colour. They could also stop using ingredients like sugars and flavourings.
New risk limits for PFAS in surface water The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has derived new risk limits for PFAS in surface water. The guiding principle for these limits is that people should be able to consume fish sourced from surface water throughout their lives without ingesting excessive levels of PFAS.
New test for Lyme disease is not reliable To determine whether someone has Lyme disease, doctors in the Netherlands often use antibody tests. For some time now, so-called cellular tests have been available on the market.
Ten years of Tick Radar 80,000 tick bite reports; chances of being bitten highest in Drenthe After recording 80,000 tick bites in 10 years via Tekenradar.nl, we now know that you are most likely to be bitten by a tick in Drenthe. Quickly removing the tick halves the chance of contracting Lyme disease.
Menthol facilitates inhalation of tobacco smoke, even when you cannot taste it Even when menthol cannot be tasted, the substance makes it easier to inhale tobacco smoke. This way, menthol makes smoking more attractive for young and novice smokers who are not yet used to inhaling sharp, pungent tobacco smoke.