Large increase in legionellosis in the Netherlands The Municipal Public Health Services (GGD) received 561 reports of legionellosis over the past year. Never before has RIVM registered as many reports of this disease as in the past year.
Protection of Defence personnel against health risks of chromium-6 was inadequate From 1984-2006, employees of the Dutch Ministry of Defence were exposed to chromium-6 during maintenance work.
Chance of ESBL contamination via livestock farming is small ESBL is an enzyme, produced by certain bacteria, which makes these bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
Bacteria slightly more often resistant to last resort antibiotics Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem. In the Netherlands, some bacteria that can cause infections in people are more frequently resistant to antibiotics used as a last resort.
Nanotechnology increasingly used in medical devices The application of nanotechnology to design and produce medical devices is increasing. RIVM provides an overview of nanotechnology enabled medical devices.
European Antibiotic Awareness Day: the fight against antibiotics resistance Wednesday, 18 November is European Antibiotic Awareness Day. On this day, attention throughout Europe is requested for the responsible use of antibiotics in people and animals.
CAESAR annual report 2014 The World Health Organization (WHO) published its first CAESAR annual report 2014.
Antibiotic resistance is stable, however, more resistant bacteria are expected Over recent years, antibiotic resistance to most agents has remained stable in the Netherlands, and the use of antibiotics has slightly decreased.
RIVM designated as WHO Collaborating Centre Antimicrobial Resistance Epidemiology and Surveillance AMR is one of the major global challenges in infectious disease control.
Chikungunya infections in the Caribbean region Since August 2014, there has been an increase in the number of Chikungunya patients in the Caribbean region. Travellers who visit the region can become infected there.