Pregnant women and women who have just given birth have more confidence in maternity care when healthcare providers give consistent information. They also perceive maternity care as better. This is shown by a study conducted by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) into the information women receive during pregnancy and around childbirth.

Based on international research, RIVM has proposed lower advisory values for the chemical formaldehyde in indoor and outdoor air. According to RIVM, these advisory values protect people against possible health effects from inhalation. It is up to the ministries concerned to set new standards based on the advisory values.

The demand for elderly care is not decreasing, but is instead increasingly shifting from care institutions to home-based care. This is the outcome of a study conducted by RIVM. Older people only move to a care institution when their care needs become more intensive, and their stays there are shorter than before.

From September 2026, the National Immunisation Programme will be using a different HPV vaccine: Gardasil 9. This vaccine protects against more types of HPV than the previous vaccine.

In the province of Utrecht, someone has died from West Nile fever. The person contracted the West Nile virus in the Netherlands and died in a hospital. Due to privacy and out of respect for the relatives, RIVM will not make any further statements about this person.

The new autumn round 2026 of COVID-19 vaccinations is about to begin. From 25 August 2026, people at greater risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19 can book an appointment with the GGD. Vaccinations will be given from 21 September 2026 at 353 GGD vaccination sites across the Netherlands.

A West Nile virus infection has been confirmed in a blood donor in the Netherlands. This occurred in August 2026 during a Sanquin study among blood donors from areas where the West Nile virus had previously been detected in humans, horses, birds or mosquitoes. A laboratory test (PCR) detected the virus in the donor, who had no symptoms and is still not showing any. The person lives in the province of Utrecht and has not been abroad recently. It is therefore likely that the infection was contracted in the Netherlands.

From Saturday 15 August 2026 at 08:00 in the morning, the National Heatwave Plan will no longer be active in a large part of the country. On Saturday, the plan will only remain in effect in four provinces: Limburg, North Brabant, Gelderland and Overijssel, where a heat intensity of 7–8 is still expected. On Sunday morning at 08:00, the National Heatwave Plan will also be lifted in these four provinces. Naturally, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) and RIVM will remain on the lookout for new periods of heat.

On Friday 14 August, air quality is expected to be “poor” in the central, eastern and northern parts of the Netherlands. This could cause discomfort for people who are sensitive to smog. RIVM advises them to stay indoors and limit strenuous physical activity. This advice is most relevant from early afternoon into the evening, when the air will be most polluted.

Following consultation with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), RIVM has decided to activate the National Heatwave Plan. From Wednesday 12 August, this applies to the four provinces of Limburg, North Brabant, Gelderland and Overijssel. From Thursday 13 August, the National Heatwave Plan will apply throughout the Netherlands. This is the fourth time this year that the National Heatwave Plan has been activated.