Expert opinions - Oh, you sniffling Christmas season: number of respiratory illnesses continues to rise
Sniffling, coughing, wheezing - the pre-Christmas period in Germany is marred by a further increase in the number of acute respiratory infections. Corona, colds and flu are still or increasingly on the rise, according to data published by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on Wednesday evening. The report on the situation in the week up to December 10 estimates around 7.9 million acute respiratory illnesses (previous report: 7.1 million) nationwide, regardless of visits to the doctor.
After corona in particular has dominated for some time, the RKI recently announced the start of the RSV wave (RSV stands for respiratory syncytial virus infections). Now flu cases are also increasing significantly. However, according to the RKI definition, the flu wave triggered by influenza viruses has not yet begun. "Influenza cases have so far mainly affected school-age children and young adults," the report states.
The number of reports, i.e. laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza, is still relatively low nationwide at around 1,400 for the previous week. However, it has more than doubled compared to the previous week. Corona is being detected much more frequently in this country: Around 26,850 cases were reported for the past week. The reporting figures for both diseases should be seen as the tip of the iceberg.
Corona, colds, flu - pathogens in top form
Overall, the RKI estimates that 9500 per 100,000 inhabitants had an acute respiratory illness last week (previous week's report: around 8500). A year ago at this time, the rate was even higher - in several of the previous years it was lower, but this is probably partly due to the coronavirus measures in place at the time. In any case, the development of respiratory diseases can vary considerably from season to season. According to experts, a small catch-up effect could still play a role in the current high levels: This means that just possibly a little more people are becoming infected with pathogens that they did not come into contact with in the pandemic years, or came into contact with less frequently than usual.
"But of course you also have to bear in mind that we now have one more pathogen for respiratory diseases," Dortmund immunologist Carsten Watzl told the German Press Agency. If you look at the relatively high proportion of Sars-CoV-2 in all respiratory infections at the moment, it is no wonder that the overall incidence is higher than in the years before the pandemic.
Immune system has to work hard
"It can also be assumed that the population is more aware of the virus," said Bremen epidemiologist Hajo Zeeb. And thus also a tendency towards more visits to the doctor due to respiratory illnesses, which could also be reflected in the statistics and the number of people unable to work.
Watzl vehemently refutes claims that the hygiene measures during the pandemic could have damaged the immune system. This is simply not true. "I don't have to train my immune system through infections for it to be active in the first place." The fact that infections that were avoided back then are now being made up for does not mean that the immune system has been weakened.
Corona is still dangerous
Despite basic immunity through vaccinations and infections in the population, severe cases are not completely a thing of the past. A corona infection can still make you "quite ill", said Charité expert Leif Sander recently on Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB). "Even the kind of manifestations we saw a few years ago." Reasons could be, for example, a vaccination that took place a long time ago or no good immunization. He therefore considers a certain degree of caution to be advisable: Voluntarily wearing a mask in a very crowded subway, for example, is sensible - also to protect against other viruses.
The coronavirus warnings issued by Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) in recent days were followed on Wednesday by criticism from Andreas Gassen, head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. "I think the urgency of his warnings and appeals is excessive. After all, we no longer have a pandemic situation," Gassen told the Rheinische Post newspaper. In the past, people didn't advise everyone to wear masks and avoid indoor Christmas parties because of colds or the flu. "What makes sense is vaccination against coronavirus and influenza for all older people and risk groups," said Gassen.
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- Corona or flu epidemic? These pathogens are making us cough and sniffle right now
- Despite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, experts like Carsten Watzl highlight the increase in flu cases, contributing to the overall rise of respiratory diseases during the holiday season in Germany.
- According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the flu epidemic has not yet begun in full force, but cases are significantly increasing, especially among school-age children and young adults.
- Similar to previous years, Germany is currently experiencing a flu epidemic alongside the ongoing coronavirus, with the RKI reporting around 1,400 lab-confirmed flu cases in the last week, marking a significant increase compared to the previous week.
- During the pre-Christmas period, a 'Flu epidemic' and coronavirus continue to spread, causing 'Corona', colds, and flu to be in top form, affecting people across Germany and prompting experts to remind the population about the importance of adequate hygiene and vaccinations to protect themselves from these respiratory diseases.
Source: www.stern.de
