How can we keep ourselves and our environment healthy? That is the challenge facing national governments, local and regional authorities, and countless healthcare professionals.
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) conducts research and provides advice to assist them in this task.
Disease Prevention and Healthcare
How effective
is the Dutch health care system? How is the quality of prescription
drugs maintained? Why are newborn babies given the Guthrie test
('heel prick')? What is the National Vaccination programme
and against what diseases does it protect? What are the causes of
overweight and obesity? What can be said about the health of the
Dutch population, today and in the future? Go to Disease
Prevention and Healthcare.
Infectious Diseases
Infectious
diseases can be transmitted from person to person, or from animals
to humans. They are caused by pathogenic micro-organisms such as
bacteria, viruses, fungal spores or parasites. You can contract an
infectious disease through contact with infected people or animals,
from contaminated food or water, from carriers such as insects or
by breathing contaminated air.
Go to
Infectious diseases.
Environment & Safety
Economic
activity generates wealth but can have an adverse impact on the
environment and on human health. It can create waste, pollution and
excessive noise. It brings the risk of accidents involving
hazardous substances. RIVM helps to protect health and the
environment through constant monitoring. We identify and evaluate
potential risks, and we formulate appropriate responses.
Go to
The environment and Chemicals.
Lifestyle, Diet and Nutrition
This section
offers information about RIVM's responsibilities with regard to
food and drinking water. It sets out how we monitor the
nation's dietary habits, and how we minimize the risks of
unhealthy diets and of contaminated products entering our food
supply. The section also presents our research into food allergens.
Go to Lifestyle,
diet and nutrition.
