Lyme disease can cause a variety of complaints in patients. Laboratory tests for the disease can support medical practitioners in making a diagnosis but are not necessarily conclusive.

Almost one third (30%) of all deaths from foodborne diseases are in children under the age of five years, despite the fact that they make up only 9% of the global population.

In 2014, fewer outbreaks of food-borne infections and food poisoning occurred in relation to previous years.

The Netherlands is the first country where the burden of disease due to Lyme disease has been determined.

RIVM researchers Arie Havelaar and Arno Swart received the prestigious Best Paper Award 2014 of the Society for Risk Analysis.

In recent years the Netherlands has witnessed an increase in the number of cases of gastroenteritis caused by the Campylobacter bacterium.