For the first time since 2016, the Netherlands saw a reduction in the number of foodborne infections in 2023 compared to the year before. The number of outbreaks decreased from 1,173 in 2022 to 911 in 2023. The number of people who became ill decreased from 4,505 to 3,500.

Starting in 2025, the vaccination schedule used in the National Immunisation Programme for children will be updated. The changes apply to four scheduled vaccination times. This offers children even better protection against infectious diseases, such as measles and whooping cough.

In dry summers, there may not be enough water to irrigate agricultural and horticultural crops. Purified wastewater is a potential solution to this problem. This water may still contain some chemicals and pathogens (such as bacteria and viruses). These must not be harmful to humans, plants or animals.

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management wants to revise soil regulations in the coming years. The existing standards and rules governing the reuse of secondary building materials, soil and dredged material are no longer up to date and need to be reviewed.

Only 7 percent of plastic packaging in the Netherlands is reused as material for new packaging. The Dutch government aims to ensure that by 2050, no packaging is made from (new) fossil-based resources.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the heel prick test (or newborn blood spot screening) in the Netherlands. This test involves the collection of a few drops of blood from newborn babies and screening the blood for serious...

Babies develop fewer antibodies against pertussis (whooping cough) if the mother is given the pertussis vaccine before the 24th week of pregnancy. These findings are from a multi-year study carried out by RIVM among preterm and full-term babies and their mothers.

RIVM and Wageningen University researchers expect the tick bite season to reach its peak in the next few weeks. The peak will coincide with the start of the summer holidays.

The new COVID-19 vaccination round will start on 16 September 2024. For people who are at higher risk, the COVID-19 vaccination offers more effective protection against hospital admission or death due to COVID-19.