Influenza virus is spreading rapidly, but epidemic size is still ‘moderate’ | Interior

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Jan 11, 2023 at 6:19 PMUpdate: 4 minutes ago

The flu virus is infecting more and more people in the Netherlands. Last week, 103 per 100,000 inhabitants went to their GP with flu-like symptoms, according to research institute Nivel. A week earlier this was still 66 people per 100,000. The flu epidemic has a “moderate intensity”, according to Nivel.

According to Nivel’s weekly report, there was “a striking increase in elderly people aged 65 and older who came to their GP with flu-like symptoms last week”. The actual number of people with the flu is unknown. That number is invariably larger than reported because many people get sick at home without the GP being involved.

The current flu epidemic started in December, before Christmas. An influenza virus was actually found in almost half of the samples taken from patients. The remaining patients carried other viruses.

The Nivel speaks of a flu epidemic “with moderate intensity”. This is the case if between 103 and 172 people per 100,000 Dutch people go to the GP with flu symptoms every week.

There is a flu epidemic when 58 per 100,000 people go to their GP with flu-like symptoms for two weeks. At least 10 percent of those people must actually carry the flu virus.

Flu is circulating more than during the previous epidemic

During the corona pandemic, the flu barely circulated in the Netherlands. Influenza viruses also had little chance of spreading due to the corona measures.

After the measures were released, another flu epidemic broke out in March 2022. It had no major peaks and was over after thirteen weeks, which is a normal duration.

The flu is now circulating more than during the previous epidemic and is therefore at the highest level since the short-lived flu wave of 2020. It was over after a few weeks, probably under the influence of the corona measures that were introduced at the time.

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Image: Robin Utrecht

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