Keeping venomous snakes in the netherlands:A harmless hobby or a public health threat?

Objective: To describe the incidence of venomous snakebites and the hospital treatment thereof (if any) amongst private individuals who keep venomous snakes as a hobby. Structure: Descriptive study. Method: Private keepers of venomous snakes were invited via the social media Facebook, Hyves, Twitter, Google Plus, Linked In and two large discussion forums to fill in an online questionnaire on a purely voluntary and anonymous basis. Results: In the period from 1 September 2012 to 31 December 2012, 86 questionnaires were completed by individuals who keep venomous snakes as a hobby. One-third of the venomous snake keepers stated that they had at some point been bitten by a venomous snake. Out of those, two-thirds needed hospital treatment and one-third of those bitten required at least one, sometimes more, doses of antiserum. The chances of being bitten increased the more venomous snakes a person kept. An inventory of the collections of venomous snakes being kept further revealed that no antiserum exists for 16 of the species, including for the most commonly held venomous snake, the coral cobra. Conclusion: Keeping venomous snakes as a hobby is not without danger. Although in the majority of snakebite cases no antiserum had to be administered, there is nevertheless a significant risk of morbidity and sequel. Preventing snakebites in the first place remains the most important safety measure since there are no antiserums available for a substantial number of venomous snakes.</p

Relatório de viagem as plantações de dendê e coco no Estado do Pará (17/08 a 23/08/1987).

bitstream/item/66782/1/Belem-Doc5-Rel.pdfPublicação não convencional. Datilografado

Scientific knowledge use and addressing uncertainties about climate change and ecosystem functioning in the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt estuaries

This paper analyses how scientists, policy makers and water users engage with scientific knowledge and uncertainties during a lengthy and complex decision-making process (2000–2014) about water quality, freshwater resources and climate adaptation in the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt estuaries. The research zooms in on lake Volkerak-Zoom. Interviews confirm that ‘negotiated knowledge’, shaped by the agricultural sector, NGO’s and water managers can lead to strategies to improve water quality problems. One such a strategy, based on negotiated knowledge, is to create an inlet to allow limited tides and inflow of saline waters in Lake Volkerak-Zoom. Meanwhile, during negotiations, monitoring showed an autonomous decline in the annually returning algal blooms, leading to new uncertainties and disrupting the negotiations. At another negotiation arena, water users and policy makers repeatedly disputed scientific assessments about costs and benefits regarding additional freshwater supply for agriculture and the knowledge underlying proposed decisions was still considered uncertain in 2014. Several strategies have been observed to deal with uncertainties in decision making, such as deconstruction of certainties, creation of deadlines for decisions and selection of preferred solutions based upon the ‘No-regret principle’. The risk of a lengthy decision making process can be reduced when the responsible authorities recognize, acknowledge and give an equal role to these behavioural strategies to address uncertainties. Tailor-made strategies are needed to make knowledge use more efficient, for example, joint-fact-finding (in case of disputed knowledge and ambiguity), additional research and monitoring (in case of epistemic uncertainty) or commissioning research whereby temporarily a protected environment is created to allow research without political interference (in case of ontic/structural uncertainty)

Zika virus and the current outbreak:an overview

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus closely related to yellow fever virus and dengue virus, is currently causing a large outbreak in the Americas. Historically, ZIKV infection was considered a sporadic, relatively mild disease characterised by fever, maculopapular rash, conjunctivitis and often arthralgia. However, current observational studies suggest that ZIKV may cause more severe neurological sequelae such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, and birth defects, mainly microcephaly, in babies of whom the mother was infected with ZIKV during pregnancy. This article provides a clinically focussed overview of ZIKV, with emphasis on the current outbreak, clinical manifestations, diagnostic tools and caveats. </p

UV-radiation and health

Jaarlijks krijgen meer dan 51.000 mensen in Nederland te horen dat ze huidkanker hebben en overlijden ruim 900 mensen aan de gevolgen ervan. Sinds 1990 is het aantal gevallen verviervoudigd. Deze stijging is veel sterker dan bij andere vormen van kanker, en een verdere stijging dreigt (met een factor 2 tot 5). De gevaarlijkste vorm van huidkanker komt in Nederland relatief vaak voor, en binnen Europa behoort Nederland tot de koplopers. Blootstelling van de huid aan UV-straling is de voornaamste oorzaak van het ontstaan van huidkanker, en dan vooral door onverstandig zongedrag. De vergrijzing en de aantasting van de ozonlaag blijken slechts een deel van de toename aan huidkanker te verklaren. Het blootstellingsgedrag lijkt de hoofdrol te spelen en daarbij zijn het dragen van minder bedekkende kleding, meer vrije tijd en langere (zon/strand) vakanties van belang, maar ook klimaatverandering en het gebruik van kunstmatige UV-bronnen voor bruining dragen mogelijk bij. De belangrijkste manier om huidkanker te voorkomen is dan ook ervoor te zorgen dat de huid niet verbrandt door de zon of zonnebank. Maar ook zonder te verbranden kan de huid beschadigd raken. Daarom is het verstandig om de huiddelen die veelvuldig worden blootgesteld extra te beschermen en om daarbij rekening te houden met de zonkracht en de duur van het verblijf in de zon. Bij een hoogstaande (zomer)zon tussen 11 en 16 uur is meer bescherming nodig dan 's morgens vroeg en in de namiddag. Behalve aan huidkanker draagt UV-straling bij aan de vorming van staar en veroorzaakt het huidveroudering en sneeuwblindheid. Het is niet wenselijk om de zonblootstelling volledig te vermijden, omdat UV-blootstelling van de huid ook de voornaamste bron is van vitamine D. Deze vitamine is essentieel voor gezonde botten en spieren. Bovendien zijn er aanwijzingen dat vitamine D de kans op darmkanker kan verkleinen. Momenteel is er een felle wetenschappelijke discussie gaande welke hoeveelheid vitamine D de meeste gezondheidswinst oplevert. De kosten van de medische behandeling van huidkanker bedragen naar schatting circa 325 (250-400) miljoen euro per jaar. De kosten voor de behandeling van door UV veroorzaakte staar, worden geschat op 75-150 miljoen euro per jaar. De kosten zijn grotendeels vermijdbaar door verstandiger (zon)gedrag. De actuele zonkrachtmetingen (www.rivm.nl/zonkracht) en betere kennis over (ontwikkelingen in) blootstellingsgedrag en gezondheidseffecten dragen bij aan een goede voorlichting en preventie. Er is alle reden de kennisopbouw met betrekking tot UV-stralingsbescherming te versterken.Every year more than 51,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the Netherlands and over 900 fatalities are reported. The number of new skin cancer cases is rising rapidly and since 1990 a fourfold increase has been observed. This increase is much stronger than for other types of cancer, and a further increase is expected (with a factor of 2-5). The incidence of melanoma of the skin in the Netherlands is among the highest in Europe. Exposure of the skin to UV-radiation is the primary cause of skin cancer, and sun-exposure is the primary source of UV-exposure. The increase in skin cancer incidence that has been observed is only partly explained by the ageing of the Dutch population and the depletion of the ozone layer. A change in exposure behaviour is probably the most dominant factor that could explain a major part of the increased skin cancer incidence. Changes in fashion, with more of the body exposed, shorter working hours and longer vacations, including an increase in summer holidays spent in southern Europe are likely causes. Climate change and the use of artificial tanning devices may also contribute. Skin cancer prevention should be focused on the avoidance of UV-induced erythema (sunburn) in solar and artificial exposures. Limiting the chronic exposure of the most exposed skin parts is also very important, because damage to the skin also occurs below the threshold of erythemal doses. It is, therefore, important to provide additional protection for the parts of the skin that are chronically exposed. Solar exposure is the most important UV-source and protection is most needed when the sun is high in the sky, in the summer months between 11:00 am and 16:00 (4 pm). The UV-index is a good indicator; it is much lower in the early morning or late afternoon/early evening. UV-exposure also contributes to the incidence of cataract and causes skin ageing and snow blindness (photokeratitis). Exposure of the skin to solar UV from the sun should not be completely avoided, however, as it is an important source of vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and muscles, and there are indications that a high vitamin D status lowers the risk of developing colon cancer, and may also be a factor in the development of a number of other cancers and chronic diseases. At present, a scientific debate is ongoing regarding the minimally required and optimal levels of vitamin D, and how to best achieve them. In the Netherlands the estimated costs for medical treatments of skin cancer and precancerous skin lesions amount to 325 million Euro (250-400). Estimated medical costs for the UV-contribution to cataract formation are 75-150 million Euro per year. These costs can be substantially reduced if (solar) UV-exposure is restricted. Prevention is supported by Solar UV-index measurements (www.rivm.nl/zonkracht), and improved knowledge on UV-radiation exposure and associated health effects. Strengthening the knowledge building and dissemination of information about UV-radiation protection is vitally important.Ministerie van VW

Relatório técnico de viagem a plantações de dendê na CODEPA e Munguba, Amapá (AP), com ênfase no estudo do amarelecimento fatal (podridão da flecha) (24/05 a 28/05/1987).

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