Category: News

The annual report containing an overview of all activities of the DWHC for 2023 is now available. Click here to view the annual report.

On July 6th in Rheinland-Pfalz, near the city Gimbsheim, one sick and one dead wild boar were found. One of these boars was confirmed to be infected with African swine fever by the Friederich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) on July 9th. This area is located on the opposite side of the Rhine from the previously reported

The red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris, hereafter referred to as the squirrel) is a protected species in the Netherlands. Research by the Dutch Wildlife Health Centre (DWHC) on dead squirrels has found that trauma is the most common direct cause of death. This trauma can be caused by a fall, but also by collisions or

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an inflammation of the brain and/or its membranes caused by the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), and as the name suggests, it is transmitted by infected ticks.

ENETWILD is an international European consortium in which research institutions specializing in wildlife and animal diseases collaborate with a large open network of partners on questions posed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The management and monitoring of fauna are studied, mainly in relation to

Enetwild is an international European consortium in which research institutions specializing in wildlife and animal diseases collaborate with a large open network of partners, addressing questions posed y the European Food Safety Agency. The management and monitoring of wildlife populations are studied, mainly in

The RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) and the DWHC are repeating their research into tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in 2024. This virus is a zoonosis that is transmitted to humans by ticks. Tick-borne encephalitis is also

Since February 1st 2024, Judith van den Brand has been the new director of the DWHC. She has continued the work of Andrea Gröne who has been the director for 15 years and has played an important role in research into

African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed in two wild boars found dead in Montenegro, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The wild boars were found on January 12th, 2024. It was likely that ASF would appear in Montenegro as it was confirmed in North Macedonia in 2022 and in Bosnia and Herzegovina,

In late December 2023, it was announced that a polar bear had died from the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in Alaska. The polar bear was found dead in October near Utqiagvik in the North Slope region. This is the first polar bear reported to have died from bird flu. As the chances of finding a dead polar