- Very many respiratory diseases at this time of year
Millions of households are currently sniffling and coughing - even in the summer. The number of acute respiratory illnesses, according to calculations by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), has been higher than ever before at this time of year in recent weeks. This refers to the period since the launch of the GrippeWeb portal in 2011.
Citizens can report directly on GrippeWeb if they had a respiratory illness in the previous week. According to the RKI, around 3.3 million acute respiratory illnesses were estimated in the population for the week from 29 July to 4 August.
Although the number of estimated new infections has decreased slightly compared to the previous week, overall, there has been only a relatively small decrease in respiratory infections since winter, according to GrippeWeb. In previous years, there were usually many fewer people with coughs, colds, and sore throats in the warmer months.
The RKI attributes this mainly to rhinoviruses and coronaviruses. Coronaviruses were mainly detected in patients over 15 years old, while rhinoviruses were found in almost all age groups. Covid-19 was mainly detected in older people with severe acute respiratory infections, especially those over 80. Influenza and RS viruses are currently not playing a role. The number of severe acute respiratory infections is at a low level.
According to the RKI, the summer holidays can have an impact on both infections and surveillance systems.
Despite the summer weather, persistent coughing can still be observed in many individuals. The high number of reported respiratory illnesses, including coughs, continues to exceed previous summer figures.
