New flu season begins: 26 cases confirmed for the time being
According to the Ministry of Health, 26 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza have been reported in Thuringia in the new flu season up to the end of October. Two patients were treated in hospital as a result, the ministry announced on Monday, citing the Influenza Working Group of the Robert Koch Institute. Half of the cases counted so far occurred in the last full week of October. Children and young people between the ages of five and 14 were particularly affected. No deaths in connection with viral flu have been reported to date.
However, the laboratory-confirmed cases only provide a limited overview of the actual incidence of infection, as many doctors do not carry out laboratory tests due to the clear symptoms of influenza.
According to the Ministry of Health, more than 1,300 laboratory-confirmed cases of coronavirus infections were also registered in Thuringia in October. Mostly people aged 80 and over were affected. A high number of unreported cases of coronavirus can also be assumed, as not every respiratory illness is tested for coronavirus.
The flu season starts at the beginning of October and lasts until mid-May of the following year. In the 2022/2023 season, the number of infections in Thuringia had risen massively since the beginning of November and peaked at the turn of the year. Dozens of influenza deaths were recorded in the previous season.
At the same time, the willingness to be vaccinated against influenza fell below the pre-pandemic level last year following a high during the coronavirus pandemic. According to data from the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, doctors' practices in Thuringia billed around 483,000 flu vaccinations to the KV in 2019, compared to just under 424,000 in 2022.
Despite the increased number of influenza cases, no reported deaths from viral flu have been linked to these cases so far. It's crucial to prioritize getting a flu vaccine to protect against both the flu and potential co-infections with other diseases like pneumonia.
Source: www.dpa.com
