In the coming weeks, RIVM will derive a temporary background value for PFAS in Dutch soil. This will be done based on measurement data from the provinces in the Netherlands.

On 16 October, farmers protested in the vicinity of RIVM in Bilthoven. The Director-General of RIVM, Hans Brug, was present at the protest site. 

There is concern about the current approach to nitrogen and the proposed measures; these concerns have been expressed in Dutch society as a whole and amongst farmers in particular.

RIVM has identified a cluster of 20 patients diagnosed with listeria over the past 2 years who are most likely to have been infected with an identical strain.

The health of the Dutch population is broadly in line with that of our neighbours.

RIVM and partner organisations from England, Germany and Belgium have developed a method to assess the risks of gene drives in laboratories.

On Thursday, June 28th, our departing director-general André van der Zande received a Royal decoration from the Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, Hugo de Jonge.

General practitioners in the Netherlands are prescribing antibiotics less frequently. No drop has been observed in hospitals.

Most cytostatics (medication for chemotherapy), tumor specific immunotherapy and hormone therapy don’t harm plants and animals in surface water.

The vaccination rate for vaccines included in the National Immunisation Programme has dropped slightly by about 1 percent.