2023-06-13 09:27:00
A flu epidemic that nobody notices – doesn’t exist? Yes, there is! Doctors have found that three out of four cases of the viral infection occur without symptoms.
Fever, body aches and the uncomfortable, faint feeling of illness – that’s what most people understand as a typical one Flu. According to British physicians from University College London, this assumption is wrong, because according to them, a typical flu is completely symptom-free, as the “Focus” reports. Three quarters of all influenza illnesses go unnoticed, according to the surprising result of their study, the results of which the researchers published in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
Unnoticed flu: Not sick, but contagious
In their study lasting several years, the scientists led by Andrew Hayward were able to determine that the number of infections with influenza viruses is 22 times more common than previously assumed. But even if the flu is asymptomatic and those affected don’t feel sick, they can transmit the virus to others. This makes it much more difficult to contain influenza, because after all, flu without symptoms does not mean that the infection in other people has to be just as harmless.
For their study, the British observed several hundred households in Great Britain over a period from 2006 to 2011. The subjects always had blood samples taken in autumn and spring, i.e. during the typical infection periods. In addition, the participants had to report regularly on their condition and send swabs to the laboratory as soon as symptoms of the disease became apparent. With the help of this data, the doctors were able to check exactly who had been infected with the flu virus, whether the typical symptoms appeared and whether those affected sought medical help.
What conclusions can be drawn?
According to German experts, these findings are not that surprising. What is more important to them is that they can carry out further investigations based on solid data that can take into account the actual number of flu cases.
If all cases of flu were taken into account, the risk of death from a viral infection would have to be corrected significantly downwards. So far, this is still set quite high. However, vaccination against influenza remains very important. This does not only apply to risk groups. People who, for reasons that have not yet been clarified, tend to suffer less frequently from flu symptoms, remain sources of infection for their fellow human beings, for example in the family or at work.
#Flu #asymptomatic #sick #contagious