News | RIVM

Annual flu epidemic seems to have started

There are many cases of flu in the Netherlands. The flu virus has increasingly been found in nose and throat samples taken from people with flu-like symptoms. The number of people contacting the GP with these symptoms has also been rising sharply in recent weeks.

Persistent concerns about young adults’ mental health despite slight improvement

Only half of young adults rate their mental health as good. This emerges from the Public Health Monitor Young Adults2024, a large-scale survey conducted among over 135,000 16-to-25-year-olds in the Netherlands.

Management needs to play more active role in improving employee health

Implementing an integrated approach to improve health in the workplace does not immediately result in employees leading healthier lifestyles. Greater attention and prioritisation from management appear to be necessary for any health effects to become visible.

mensen rekken zicht uit voor of na een vergadering

Air Quality Monitoring report: air is becoming cleaner, but improvements still needed

In 2023, the air quality along roads met European nitrogen standards everywhere. With regard to particulate matter, there were seven locations along roads and near livestock farms that did not meet the standards. Even at amounts below the current standards, air pollution may still cause health effects.

RIVM sets out three scenarios for palliative care in 2050

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has explored the developments likely to have the greatest impact on palliative care in 2050.

Part of the Dutch adults are sufficiently physically active, but activity is not spread sufficiently throughout the week

More than one in ten Dutch people aged 18 and over engage in sufficient minutes of physical activity, but do not sufficiently spread out this throughout the week.

RIVM advises consumers to check N-acetylcysteine content of food supplements

Food supplements containing the substances N-acetylcysteine, L-cysteine and/or L-cystine are sold in the Netherlands. These supplements are intended to detoxify the body.

CLI leads to improved quality of life regardless of medication use

Since 2019, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has been monitoring developments surrounding the Combined Lifestyle Intervention (CLI), a treatment for people who are overweight and people with obesity.

More than 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccinations administered in the 2024 autumn round

In the autumn round of 2024, a total of 2,513,671 COVID-19 vaccinations were registered by RIVM. Vaccination coverage for people over 60 is 46.6%.

Young people contact GP more often due to suicidality

In the third quarter of 2024, young people (0–24 years) had 75% more contact with the GP because of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts than before the pandemic in 2019. The difference has grown compared to the previous quarter (increase of 75% v. 45%), based on primary care data.