This brochure gives you an overview of the work of the Centre for Infectious Disease Control.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a methodological tool used to quantitatively analyse the life cycle of products/activities within the context of environmental impact. In LCA, the total life cycle of a product or activity is considered, from the extraction of resource materials to the waste and waste treatment stage, also referred to as from the cradle to the grave. For this purpose, specific calculation tools are being applied.

RIVM assists two ministry inspectorates in conducting measurements and interpreting the resultant data. The Health Care Inspectorate is responsible for overseeing the quality of health services, prevention programmes and medical products. The VROM Inspectorate is the regulatory authority responsible for maintaining environmental quality.

Our clients submit concrete research questions, the answers to which will help them to develop appropriate policy.RIVM is nevertheless entirely independent and impartial. Clients have no say in the research methods to be used, and neither are they able to influence the results in any way.

In the Netherlands, responsibility for various public health tasks is devolved to regional and local authorities. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) nevertheless oversees compliance with national health policy, and must therefore have information about the authorities’ performance of their tasks, and the opportunities for government intervention where necessary. The first requirement is therefore adequate knowledge.

RIVM is responsible for several national programmes which promote public health. These programmes are designed to prevent people from developing certain diseases, or to ensure that diseases and disorders can be diagnosed at an early stage whereupon prompt treatment can be offered.

The knowledge gathered or developed by RIVM is not only of great importance to the government, but also to health care professionals. RIVM makes this knowledge available in the form of reports, position papers, brochures and websites. Information about public health is of particular importance to municipal health departments, hospitals, GPs and other research institutes. RIVM’s expertise in the field of environmental quality is of value to regional environmental management organizations and research institutes, although it is of course also made available to stakeholder groups and commercial organizations.

RIVM conducts applied, demand-led research with a view to solving societal issues. Much of our research work is commissioned by the three ‘core’ ministries (Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport), which expect RIVM to ensure that the required knowledge is reliable and is made available in the most appropriate form.

RIVM has joint responsibility for a number of national crisis management functions. Providing a rapid response to a crisis, or a potential crisis, is clearly a task for national government. It is essential to analyse the situation as quickly as possible and to take appropriate measures. There are various types of crisis, for example an outbreak of an infectious disease, a food safety incident or an environmental accident.