For years the average life expectancy in South Limburg has been lower than in the rest of the Netherlands. To make this backlog disappear, several initiatives have been launched to improve the health situation in South Limburg, the first step being the GGD study In search of the Limburg factor. Covid also reminds us of the importance of the overall health situation, including resistance to pandemic infectious diseases. It is precisely these infectious diseases that have already put Limburg at a national health disadvantage. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Limburg was the leader with a sky-high infant mortality rate, which was mainly caused by gastrointestinal infections. But other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera and measles were also rampant here. So what was it that caused a historic trend change, with Limburg once again falling more in line with the rest of the country? Which diseases and causes of death played a decisive role in this? And what are the causes of the current health backlog? Are there parallels to be drawn between the health of the past and present, and what exactly are the differences?

Speakers from varying backgrounds will elaborate on how these trend reversals have been or should be accomplished.

The event is open to everyone interested, but will be held in Dutch.

 More information on the programme (in Dutch)