PIENTER began in 1996 as a study to establish how well vaccinations protect the Dutch population against infectious diseases. It has since grown into an important tool for gaining a broad understanding of public health. This fourth round will look not only at protection against infectious diseases through vaccination or previous infection, but also at the impact of lifestyle and the living environment on health.

Study design

Over the coming year, around 125,000 people of all ages, from across the Netherlands, will be selected at random and invited to take part in PIENTER 4. The aim is to obtain a cross-section of the Dutch population: vaccinated and unvaccinated people, and people in good or poorer health. Participants complete a questionnaire several times over the course of a year. They also send in small samples of bodily material on several occasions, such as a few drops of blood and nasal fluid. Researchers will visit a small number of participants at home to collect faeces, nasal mucus, urine and saliva. RIVM will use all these samples and data to investigate protection against infectious diseases, as well as the impact of people’s living environment and lifestyle on their health.

The PIENTER study will also be conducted in the Caribbean Netherlands in 2027.

Data intelligently combined with other sources

PIENTER researchers will combine the results from the questionnaires and the samples of bodily material with other sources. This includes information from Infectieradar on respiratory symptoms and infections, and other RIVM data, such as data on air quality and the presence of substances in the living environment. This will provide a broad picture of protection against infectious diseases and the impact of lifestyle and the living environment on health. The study will produce data and samples that can be used for research for many years to come, including by other research institutes.

RIVM expects to share the first results in 2028.

PIENTER: supporting public health and policy

Commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), the PIENTER study has been carried out every ten years since 1996, PIENTER has helped shape the National Immunisation Programme to ensure that vaccines provide the best possible protection. VWS uses PIENTER results to inform policy, while the Health Council of the Netherlands and the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) use the results in their advice.

PIENTER also provides insight into emerging infectious diseases, such as West Nile virus, avian influenza, Lyme disease and dengue. And it provides information during outbreaks of infectious diseases, as it did previously for measles and for chickenpox in the Caribbean Netherlands. In addition, it provides the knowledge needed to model how outbreaks of infectious diseases are likely to develop.

Read more about the fourth round of the PIENTER study.