News | RIVM

High rates of RSV in children over the summer, and a late flu epidemic in the 2021-2022 season

Hospitals reported an unusually large number of children presenting with RSV over the summer of 2021. The number of positive coronavirus tests rapidly increased after the summer of 2021.

From 1 June 2022, heel prick test also screens for muscle disease SMA, bringing number of screened diseases to 26

From 1 June 2022, the heel prick test for Dutch newborns will also screen for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). SMA is a serious hereditary muscle condition. Detecting this disease at an early stage enables early treatment.

Tailor-made information will help immigrants make decisions on taking part in screening programmes

Immigrants are relatively less likely to take part in preventive screening programmes, such as cancer screening. This is partly due to the language barrier and a lack of knowledge, according to a doctoral thesis by Nora Hamdiui.

Better monitoring of RSV thanks to new European project

RIVM and Nivel contribute to building a European RSV monitoring network. Through the network, European health institutions and laboratories will exchange data on the spread of RSV. This will help us to better monitor the virus.

Breast cancer screening resumes on Bonaire after COVID-19 hiatus

Women aged 50 to 75 years on Bonaire can participate in the breast cancer screening programme again as of Wednesday, May 26, 2021. This was temporarily halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Population screening programmes temporarily on hold

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the health care capacity in the Netherlands is expected to come under severe pressure in the coming period.

iGEM meetup for teams and supervisors

The best synbio projects, including iGEM teams, have one thing in common: cutting edge science in the light of carefully considered societal needs.