News in Health and the Environment

RIVM is actively participating in about 30 projects within Horizon2020. We also participate in Joint Actions, IMI and European Joint Programmes on topics as for example One Health, antimicrobial resistance, chemical food safety, integrated care or nanotechnology. We recently published a database containing all our international projects. It is available on our website. 

In the first quarter of 2019, the number of measles cases reported was just as high as normally in a whole year. Vaccination coverage must be higher than 95 percent to prevent a major outbreak. RIVM therefore warns travelers to check for outbreaks of measles in their area of destination, especially travelers with destination New York. There is much discussion about whether or not to vaccinate children when they go to the daycare in the Netherlands. See also

Young people (13-18 years) who use light-emitting screens daily in the hour before going to sleep have more sleep problems. The spleep complaints reduced among adolescents who were not using screens for one week during the evening. It also helps if they use orange tinted glasses that block blue light during evening screen use. Read more

As a health response towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6, the World Health Organization recommends the introduction of a Water Safety Plan for every drinking-water supply. The Tajikistan’ Sanitary Epidemiological Service was trained by RIVM’s WHO Collaborating Centre. The CC provided training on risk-based surveillance approaches and the prioritisation of water quality parameters. Read more

To improve integrated care for older people living at home, professionals and organisations need to get to know each other, build trust and better understanding. They should start with a small-scale project and have a shared vision for care for older people. These are the outcomes of SUSTAIN. The project also delivered a roadmap which is available for download. Read more

RIVM hosted an international workshop on new and emerging risks from chemicals on 20 and 21 February 2019. The WHO workshop brought together institutions with expertise in and expert knowledge of methodologies and systems for the identification of emerging risks to human health from chemicals. Read more

This year marks the 110th anniversary of the founding of RIVM.  RIVM started out in 1909 with a small group of researchers dedicated to combatting cholera and other serious diseases. Today, in 2019, the circumstances are different, as is the research we conduct. Our commitment to health and sustainability remains the same. Read more

On Thursday 11 April 2019, RIVM welcomed a delegation from Public Health England (PHE). Chief Executive Duncan Selbie of PHE headed the delegation. Also present were the deputy CEO, two directors, two heads of department and a partnerships manager from PHE. The delegation was pleased to learn more about RIVM's work and the existing collaborations between RIVM and PHE. Read more