RIVM

The vaccination rate of girls against HPV - the virus that can cause cervical cancer - increased spectacularly last year. The vaccination of newborns against mumps, measles and rubella increased slightly for the first time in seven years, and after years of decline, the rate for the other vaccinations remained stable for the second year in a row, according to ongoing research into the National Vaccination Program by public health institute RIVM. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently investigating the possibility of evacuating 20 Dutch people from the Chinese city of Wuhan due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus, a spokesperson for the Ministry confirmed to news wire ANP. The Netherlands residents in the city were informed by the embassy in Beijing on Monday morning. 

The Dutch health authorities as yet see no reason to erect a quarantine zone at Schiphol airport due to the outbreak of the new Coronavirus in China. Dutch airline KLM is also not taking any additional measures as yet, the airline said in a statement to passengers on Wednesday morning. 

According to the European center for disease control ECDC, the chance of the Coronavirus coming to Europe is small. In addition, there are no direct flights between the Netherlands and Wuhan - the Chinese province with the most Corona infections. 

The European Union's policy on air quality led to much cleaner air in the Netherlands, according to a study by public health institute RIVM. Without the European measures implemented since the 1970s, air pollution in the country would be much higher and the average life expectancy in the Netherlands would be about six years lower, the RIVM said.

On Friday Albert Heijn removed halal meat products from listeria-contaminated supplier Offerman from its shelves. But unlike Jumbo and Aldi, Albert Heijn made no public announcement to recall products already purchased by customers, NOS reports.

A Hyalomma tick, commonly referred to as a giant tick, was found in Wageningen. This is the third specimen of this type of tick, which can carry dangerous diseases like Crimean Congo virus and Spotted Fever, to be found in the Netherlands this year. The other sightings were in Drenthe and in the Achterhoek in July.

The Netherlands is officially in its second heat wave of the year. At 12:40 p.m. on Tuesday, temperatures hit 30 degrees in De Bilt, meeting the heat wave criteria of five consecutive days with temps above 25 degrees, including three with temps above 30 degrees Celsius, according to Weerplaza.

Two national heat waves in a year is very rare, according to the weather service. This is only the fourth time it's happened in the Netherlands since temperature measurements started in 1901. The other years with two heatwaves were last year, 2006, and 1941. 

Emergency services in Rotterdam responded en masse to the Maasstad Hospital on Wednesday night after a woman showed up at the GP station with symptoms of Ebola. A few hours later, just after midnight, the local safety office announced that it was a false alarm - the woman does not have the highly contagious disease, NOS reports.

For the first time in the country's recorded weather history, temperatures in the Netherlands climbed higher than 40 degrees again setting a new heat record on Thursday. A weather station at the Gilze-Rijen Air Base hit 40.4 degrees at 2:54 p.m, where the country's record was broken with a 39.4 degree reading at 2:40 p.m., and 39.6 degrees 10 minutes later.

Today is officially the hottest July 25th in the Netherlands since temperature measurements started in 1901. At 11:30 a.m. it was 31.8 degrees in De Bilt, breaking the previous record of 31.6 degrees from 2006, Weeronline reports. This is the 10th hottest day record broken so far this year.

The persistent heat in the Netherlands this week will trigger a code orange weather warning by this afternoon, Weerplaza expects. Public health institute RIVM implemented the National Heath Plan for the entire country.