RIVM has already performed the PIENTER study several times before. On this page you can read more about those rounds and their results.
The PIENTER study has already been conducted 3 times. In 2017, PIENTER 3 was also conducted on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. This was called the Health Study Caribbean Netherlands. During the coronavirus pandemic, a special PIENTER-Corona study was conducted to investigate how the coronavirus spread in the Dutch population.
The table below shows how many people participated in the previous rounds of the PIENTER study and what data they shared.
| Round | Year | Location | Participants | Data collected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIENTER 1 | 1995-1996 | 8 municipalities | 8,356 participants aged between 0 and 79 | Blood, questionnaire, vaccination data |
| PIENTER 2 | 2006-2007 | 40 municipalities | 5,834 participants aged between 0 and 79 | Blood, questionnaire, vaccination data |
| PIENTER 3 | 2016-2017 | 49 municipalities | 7,600 participants aged between 0 and 89 | Blood, saliva, throat and nasal swab, stool, questionnaire, vaccination and medication data, contact diary, environmental parameters |
| Health Study Caribbean Netherlands (part of PIENTER 3) | 2017 | Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba | 1,900 participants aged between 0 and 89 | Blood, throat and nasal swab, stool, weight, height, blood pressure, questionnaire, vaccination, medical and medication data |
| PIENTER-Corona | Between 2020 and 2024 in 13 research rounds | All the municipalities | More than 10,000 participants aged between 1 and 92 * | Blood, nasal fluid (in rounds 8-10 only), questionnaire, COVI |
Results
The PIENTER research has provided a lot of important information about the protection against infectious diseases for which the National Immunisation Programme vaccinates children. The data from PIENTER 2 and 3 have also been used to study other infectious diseases, such as chickenpox, hepatitis A and hepatitis E, influenza (A and B), cytomegaly virus (CMV), Q fever, chlamydia, disease caused by an orthohantavirus, foxes and dog tapeworm, salmonella, campylobacter, RS virus, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Lyme disease, Borrelia miyamotoi, toxoplasmosis, West Nile fever and Usutu virus.
Data from PIENTER 2 and 3 also allowed researchers to study respiratory immunity, the microbiome, antimicrobial resistance and the effect of (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) on immunity.
The results of these studies have made an important contribution to public health. For example, by:
- Evaluating and monitoring vaccination programmes. To ensure that they can be adapted to further protect children and adults against diseases for which vaccination is available.
- In the event of outbreaks of infectious diseases, identifying groups with less effective immune systems and studying the impact of measures.
- Studying other and emerging infectious diseases to understand how often they occur and which groups are at greater risk of being infected.
The results of PIENTER-Corona provided insight into:
- The number of infections
- The risk factors for infection
- The effect of vaccinations
With the results of PIENTER-Corona, RIVM was able to prepare recommendations for control measures and vaccination policies. Those were used by the Outbreak Management Team (OMT), the Health Council of the Netherlands, and for advice to the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport and the Dutch House of Representatives (“Tweede Kamer”).