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.

Ticks are active again, as shown by the increase in tick bite reports on Tekenradar.nl. Quick action is important: the faster you remove a tick after it bites you, the lower your risk of contracting Lyme disease.

The growth in the use of digital healthcare tools by care providers stabilised in 2023. This was mainly because most care providers were already using particular digital tools in 2022, such as the patient portal – on which patients can view the outcomes of examinations – and e-consultations (digital written contact with doctors).

Each year, approximately 27,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease. For most, the symptoms disappear after treatment with antibiotics. Unfortunately, 25% of those treated have chronic symptoms, such as fatigue, concentration disorders or pain.

In 2021, the number of Lyme disease diagnoses with a red ring or rash– known as an erythema migrans, or EM – remained as high as in the previous survey in 2017. GPs diagnosed 25,600 patients with a red ring or rash caused by the Lyme bacteria.

In 2022, the reported number of tick bites in the Netherlands fell by a third compared to previous years. In order to find a satisfactory explanation for such differences, researchers at WUR and RIVM have initiated a large-scale study via Tekenradar.nl. This will give them more insights into the 1.5 million tick bites in the Netherlands every year.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated RIVM as WHO Collaborating Centre on Life Course and Health. The Collaborating Centre will support the WHO by contributing to knowledge and research on healthy ageing over the life course. People are growing older all over the world.

After recording 80,000 tick bites in 10 years via Tekenradar.nl, we now know that you are most likely to be bitten by a tick in Drenthe. Quickly removing the tick halves the chance of contracting Lyme disease.

2021 saw an increase in the use of e-health in every part of the healthcare industry in comparison with 2019. There were several reasons for this, including the coronavirus pandemic.