Antimicrobial resistance is increasing on a global level. It is difficult to treat infections caused by resistant bacteria.

ESBL is an enzyme, produced by certain bacteria, which makes these bacteria resistant to antibiotics.

Influenza vaccination reduces the number of influenza virus infections but not the overall number of illness.

Last winter season, the duration and severity of the influenza epidemic was moderate compared to previous years.

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.

Residues of medicinal products, such as painkillers, hormones and antidepressants, are increasingly detected in surface water and drinking water.

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.

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.

The World Health Organization (WHO) published its first CAESAR annual report 2014.

Over recent years, antibiotic resistance to most agents has remained stable in the Netherlands, and the use of antibiotics has slightly decreased.