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Sniffling and coughing: The number of illnesses is currently skyrocketing, especially among children

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It is still a long way from the peaks of recent years, but the flu epidemic in Germany is still gaining momentum.

Influenza activity increased significantly last week, writes the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in its current report on acute respiratory diseases.

Of the almost 44,000 flu infections that have been detected in laboratories nationwide since October, more than 13,000 occurred last week.

The diseases are spread across all age groups.

Influenza is also driving up the total number of people suffering from acute respiratory diseases in Germany.

The number shot up, especially for children who sniffled and coughed.

According to the RKI estimates, around 5.5 million people in Germany were affected by an acute respiratory infection last week.

The number was higher at the end of 2023, but then fell during the school holidays over Christmas and the New Year.

While a harmless cold usually begins slowly, for example with a slight sore throat, a real flu is usually characterized by a sudden onset of illness with fever, cough or sore throat and headache and body aches.

Other symptoms can include a runny nose, sweating and fatigue.

In children, the flu can also cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.

RSV continues to be a problem

In addition to the flu, the RS virus, which can be dangerous for small children, continued to cause problems last week.

According to the RKI, there has not yet been a significant decline in infections with the pathogen.

The coronavirus, on the other hand, is currently causing fewer and fewer infections.

In addition, slightly more people were admitted to hospital last week due to severe respiratory illnesses.

“Children with an RSV infection under the age of two and school children with an influenza virus infection are particularly affected by hospital admission,” reports the RKI.

In addition to the flu, Covid-19 also often leads to serious illnesses in older people.

The RKI advises that all people for whom a flu vaccination is recommended but who have not yet had one should have it done as soon as possible.

After vaccination, it takes around ten to 14 days for the body to build up protection.

The vaccination is recommended, among other things, for all people aged 60 and over as well as people with various previous illnesses.

irb/dpa