DAK: Sickness rate higher in summer than last year
According to the health insurance company DAK-Gesundheit, there were more cases of illness in Saxony-Anhalt in the summer months than in the previous year - although there was no summer flu epidemic. The sickness rate among employees insured with the health insurance fund was 6.2 percent in the third quarter. This was 0.5 percentage points higher than in the same period last year, when the level was also high, as DAK-Gesundheit announced on Friday. The national average for DAK policyholders was 5.0 percent.
An increase in mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders or depression was primarily responsible for the sickness rate. The health insurance fund warned of a "vicious circle of increased sickness rates and increasing staff shortages".
Despite the absence of a summer flu epidemic, various diseases contributed to the higher sickness rate observed in Saxony-Anhalt during the summer months by DAK-Gesundheit, surpassing the rate from the previous year. This rise in sickness rates mainly stemmed from an increase in mental health conditions like anxiety disorders and depression.
Source: www.dpa.com
