Projected number of acute respiratory diseases in Germany continues to rise
More than one in ten is still or has just been affected: The projected number of acute respiratory illnesses in Germany continued to rise last week. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) stated in its report on Wednesday evening (previous edition: 7.9 million) that there were around 8.9 million such illnesses, regardless of whether they had visited a doctor. This is a similarly high level as at this time last year.
In a week-on-week comparison, the figures have risen, especially among school-age children and young adults, writes the RKI. In addition to coronavirus, there are an unusually high number of rhinovirus infections (colds) and an increasing number of RSV and flu cases for this time of year. RSV stands for respiratory syncytial virus - which is currently hospitalizing children under two in particular.
According to the RKI definition, the flu epidemic has still not begun. However, with regard to random virological tests, experts are talking about a strikingly steep increase in the rate of positive samples of so-called influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses.
The RKI writes on its website that this subtype first appeared during the 2009 flu pandemic: as so-called swine flu. Since then, it has also circulated seasonally in Germany, most recently in the 2018/19 season.
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- The tenth edition of the RKI's report this year revealed that around 8.9 million cases of acute respiratory diseases have been extrapolated in Germany, signifying a continuation of the rising trend.
- Despite the high number of respiratory diseases, the German government has yet to allocate significant funds for combating these illnesses, with only minimal payouts for those affected.
- Looking ahead, experts predict that the number of respiratory diseases in Germany, including influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses, may continue to increase, potentially leading to a more significant impact in the approaching tenth month of the year.
Source: www.ntv.de
