Category: News

Last night, avian influenza was confirmed at a broiler breeder farm in Gasselternijveenschemond, Drenthe. To prevent the spread of the avian influenza virus, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is culling 71,000 animals and establishing Read more

Between March 2024 and April 2025, hunters, wildlife managers, and game coordinators could submit blood samples from roe deer to the Dutch Wildlife Health Centre (DWHC). The blood samples were collected for research by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) into areas where the

The annual report, which covers all DWHC activities in 2024, is now available (in Dutch). It extensively discusses the monitoring and surveillance of diseases in wildlife in the Netherlands, knowledge development, and

Strong One Health is a project of a European partnership which the DWHC is a part of. One Health is based on the principle that the health of humans, animals, and the environment is closely linked, and collaboration between experts in various fields is essential. The partnership investigates zoonoses, pathogens

In the first half of 2025, a total of 13 Common Kestrels and Peregrine Falcons, our focus species, were reported to the DWHC. Of these, six— all Common Kestrels— were sent to Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) to be tested for avian influenza. In addition, one Common Kestrel and one Peregrine Falcon were

To the relief of many, reports of bird flu among wild birds in the Netherlands remained relatively low this past spring. Although the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus had not completely disappeared, increased mortality from this virus did not occur among the colony-breeding gulls and terns that had been severely

Since August last year, the number of reports of sick hares with swollen eyes that often appeared blind and collapsed has increased (see https://dwhc.nl/en/2024/11/current-situation-of-the-research-on-hares/). After post-mortem

In the province North Brabant, an old female badger (Meles meles) was found dead in March 2025, in a garden close to a badger sett (an underground tunnel system where badgers live). The badger was thin and dehydrated. The animal was sent in and examined by the DWHC.

The faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University regularly compiles dossiers on a variety of topics. Their latest dossier focuses on zoonoses, diseases transmissible from animals to humans, which is a key aspect of the work of the DWHC.

Between mid-April and early May, there was an increase in reports of sick and dead Barnacle Geese as a result of infection with the avian influenza virus (bird flu virus). This mainly concerned birds that stayed behind at gathering sites in the eastern Wadden Sea area while their conspecifics continued their