ANP Productions | Bron: ANP
Utrecht
The number of people who report to their GP with flu complaints has increased slightly last week, says research institute Nivel. Last week, 48 per 100,000 people visited their GP with complaints that could indicate the flu. The week before, it was still 38 out of 100,000 people.
For the fifth consecutive week, the figures remain below the so-called ‘epidemic limit’ of 58 per 100,000 people. If more patients come to the GP each week with flu-like symptoms, the Nivel speaks of a flu epidemic. In principle, the reverse applies: if the number remains below that limit for several weeks in a row, the epidemic is over.
But since the corona pandemic, it has become more difficult to simply declare a flu epidemic ‘over’, explains researcher Mariëtte Hooiveld van het Nivel. The information that GPs provide about the flu has become much more extensive since the corona pandemic. For example, many more GPs take samples from people who visit them with flu symptoms. The amount of flu virus found in those samples is currently still high. That is why Nivel, among others, continues to “keep a close eye” on developments around the virus and the epidemic is not yet officially over.
Multiple statements
According to Hooiveld, there are several explanations for the fact that a lot of influenza is found in the samples. Patients who report to their GP with complaints can also carry other respiratory viruses, such as the RS virus or the rhinovirus. But according to the researcher, those viruses are not circulating much at the moment and that makes it “just big” that someone who reports complaints to the GP has the flu. In view of the rising numbers of last week, it could also be the case that a “second flu wave” is on the way, says Hooiveld.
The number of confirmed corona infections is rising again, especially among the elderly, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) reported on Tuesday. The number of people hospitalized with that virus is also increasing.