Eating less salt can prevent tens of thousands of heart attacks and strokes Lowering the amount of salt in processed foods or choosing low-salt alternatives can lead to substantial health benefits when it comes to cardiovascular disease.
Flu season in the winter of 2014 / 2015 more severe and longer than preceding years The flu epidemic in the winter of 2014 / 2015 lasted 21 weeks and as such was the longest epidemic ever recorded in the Netherlands. Nearly two million people suffered from flu-like symptoms.
Virus RNA can help to prevent the spread of infection Using information about the RNA (genetic material) of a virus in reconstructing an outbreak can help to map the extent of the outbreak, the infection source and the way in which the virus is transm
Warning labels on chicken products are well read and highly valued A warning label on the packaging of raw chicken products may result in improved kitchen hygiene among one quarter of the population.
Large differences in childhood obesity in Europe The percentage of overweight (including obesity) among 6-9-year-old children differs between European countries, ranging from 18 to 57%. Percentages are highest in southern European countries.
Risk of degradation of European ecosystems by air pollution is decreasing The number of natural areas in Europe that are threatened by air pollution will decrease between 2005 and 2020.
RIVM participates in large EU project to head up global fight against infectious diseases COMPARE, a large EU project intends to speed up the detection of, and response to disease outbreaks among humans and animals worldwide, through the use of new genome technology.
Biobased alternatives to hormone disrupting substance in cash register receipts Chemicals made from vegetable or animal waste may be an alternative to the use of the substance Bisphenol A (BPA) in thermal paper. Thermal paper is widely used for cash register receipts.
RIVM and Olive Foundation open trading to mark the European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week January 20th, the Olive Foundation and RIVM opened AEX trading day in Amsterdam on the occasion of the 9th European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week.
Number of cases remains stable despite slight rise in number of outbreaks of food-related disease The report ‘Recording of foodborne infections and food poisoning in 2013’ issued by RIVM and the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) shows a total of 290 outbreaks involvi