The number of people visiting the GP with flu symptoms has been increasing for several weeks and we are in the middle of a flu epidemic. It now appears that a striking number of people get pneumonia immediately afterwards. Sometimes with serious consequences. Doctors therefore call for alertness and to sound the alarm in time in the event of lung complaints.
Flu epidemic
Since December 21, 2022, there has been a flu epidemic in our country. This is the case when more than 58 out of 100,000 people with flu complaints go to the doctor and 10 percent of the samples examined contain the influenza virus. In the week from December 26, 2022 to January 1, 2023, this concerns 66 out of 100,000 people. RIVM keeps track of the figures. After going through the flu virus, the body becomes more susceptible to bacteria and it is therefore more common for people to suffer from pneumonia afterwards.
Strikingly common pneumonia after the flu
Opposite RTL News says Peter van der Voort, IC boss of the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), that such pneumonia is often very sickening. In most cases, people who get antibiotics for it recover. If not, the consequences can become life-threatening. Certain groups are more at risk, such as the elderly and people with a poor immune system. “But it is striking that relatively healthy young people are now also contracting deadly pneumonia. Unfortunately, we have seen several of these patients die in recent weeks,” says Van der Voort. Opposite Newspaper of the North he says that there are many cases of pneumonia not only in the north of the country, but throughout the country.
Pressure in healthcare is increasing
Pulmonologist Leon van den Toorn of the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam and also chairman of the Dutch Association of Physicians for Pulmonary Diseases and Tuberculosis shares the concerns. He has seen the crowds in the hospital increase and says opposite RTL News that it is ‘remarkably busy’ with virus infections in general, due to colds, flu and corona. “But what is remarkable is that some people who have contracted a viral infection develop pneumonia immediately afterwards. It seems that we are seeing that more now than in other years.” In addition, Van den Toorn is also aware that relatively young, healthy people are also dying of pneumonia at the moment.
Flu a
According to Van der Voort, the current influenza a flu virus does not differ much from other flu variants. But what does differ is the number of pneumonias caused by bacteria. “Whether that is actually more than other years, research will have to show in the coming weeks,” he says Newspaper of the North.
Reason for alert
It is always important to keep an eye on the course of a flu, but the doctors call for extra vigilance now. They therefore advise to sound the alarm in good time if flu symptoms do not pass or worsen. Flu is normally accompanied by fever, headache and muscle aches, but this passes after 4 or 5 days. But if the fever persists or if you suddenly become sicker again after it first got better, then you would do well to consult a doctor. Especially when you also become short of breath and start coughing. Thuisarts.nl lists the following symptoms that you may notice with pneumonia:
- cough
- being stuffy
- fever (38 degrees or higher)
- breathing faster or more difficult
- faster beating of your heart
- feeling weak and lethargic
- be very tired
- sometimes: pain on deep inhalation
The longer the inflammatory reaction can go on, the more difficult it is to treat it with antibiotics. Van den Toorn also advises to pay extra attention when you are in large groups. Then keep your distance, ventilate and wash your hands.
Call: stay home when you are sick
Across the NOS says Chantal Rovers, professor of Outbreaks of Infectious Diseases and internist-infectiologist at Radboud university medical center, that healthcare providers are seeing increased pressure on healthcare in connection with the flu epidemic. She emphasizes that there have been difficult flu seasons before, but that there is now less leeway. This is because there has been more absenteeism among healthcare staff since the corona outbreak, but also because there is an increase in patients due to other causes, such as the corona and RS virus. She therefore wants to urge people to stay at home if you have flu symptoms: “Stay at home if you are sick and you are snotty, then avoid people with weaker health.”
(Source: RTL Nieuws, Dagblad van het Noorden, NOS, RIVM, Thuisarts, archive. Photo: Shutterstock)