2024-02-06 05:12:00
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The flu wave has picked up speed: the number of infections has doubled in the past few weeks. © Maurizio Gambarini/dpa
The flu wave is also hitting Kassel. The cases have now doubled in the city and district. There are also still some RSV infections. Corona, on the other hand, is declining.
Kassel – The flu wave has arrived in the Kassel region. The health department reports a doubling of cases from calendar week 3 (34 cases) to calendar week 4 (66 cases). In the past few days, the number of infections has risen again to 79.
“The number is distributed almost equally between the city area and the Kassel district,” says a spokesman. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) also confirms that the number of influenza cases is continuing to rise throughout Germany.
Only those influenza cases in which a doctor has taken a swab and the health department has a confirmed laboratory report are recorded statistically. “The actual number of people who are sick is probably significantly higher because not every sick person goes to a doctor’s office,” the spokesman continues.
Self-tests against influenza are available on the market, but they can only provide indications of an infection. Reliable testing can only be carried out by the family doctor’s office.
The Kassel Region Health Department is currently recording an increase in influenza outbreaks in medical and nursing facilities.
The number of RSV infections is also currently high. “This is a normal development given the time of year. It looks as if we have already passed the peak of the current wave,” says a spokeswoman for Health North Hesse (GNH).
RSV stands for respiratory syncytial virus and is responsible for most acute bronchitis cases in infants and children. The health department is currently reporting 21 confirmed RSV cases for the region. Last week there were 23 infections.
At the Kassel Clinic, around 20 young patients are currently being treated for RSV or flu – with flu cases now making up the majority, according to the GNH. But there is no reason to worry: there are still enough free beds available, says the spokeswoman.
However, the health department is recording a downward trend in corona cases. In the last week of January, 48 cases were reported. The following week there were 21 cases. “Here, too, it is assumed that more people are infected than are reported,” says the spokesman.
However, the health department is observing an increase in combination infections, such as Corona and RSV, but also Corona and influenza. These occur in different age groups.
Many young people affected by the flu
The flu is an infection with influenza viruses. In contrast to other respiratory infections, which begin gradually, the person suffering from the flu has sudden symptoms such as severe headaches, body aches and fever.
Fatigue can also occur. The infection occurs via droplet infection. The RKI reports that all age groups are now affected by the flu epidemic.
Dr. Uwe Popert, deputy spokesman for the Kassel General Practitioners Association, sees the main infection in children, adolescents and young adults. The currently rampant flu virus is similar to the swine flu of 2009, which many older people have already experienced and are therefore partially immune, says Popert.
The general practitioner also points out that the statistics on influenza infections alone say nothing about the severity of the cases. “Overall, there are many cases, but many mild ones,” is how he summarizes the situation. He also expects a few serious flu cases this year in the coming weeks.
If you have not yet been vaccinated against the flu, the Kassel Region Health Department still recommends vaccination. People with diabetes and other chronic illnesses as well as people over 60, as well as medical staff and people from facilities with a lot of public traffic, are particularly at risk of influenza infection.
This also makes sense at the beginning or in the course of flu cases that occur. This also continues to apply to a corona vaccination – especially for people with an increased risk of a serious course of the disease. These include, among others, people aged 60 and over.
A mouth and nose mask also still offers good protection against infection. It doesn’t just serve as self-protection: people with acute respiratory symptoms should also wear an FFP2 mask to protect others.
Anyone who has symptoms of an acute respiratory infection should stay at home until their symptoms have improved significantly and avoid direct contact with people – especially those who are at increased risk of serious illness.
If the respiratory symptoms worsen or do not improve after a few days or if you belong to a risk group, your family doctor should be consulted, it is said.
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