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RKI report Most healthy adults with severe influenza are currently infected
The main months for flu are January and February
The flu epidemic 2016 is spreading more and more, more and more people are suffering from the typical symptoms such as fever, joint and limb pain, chills, headache and cough. According to the latest weekly report of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), 2,394 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases have been reported for the fifth calendar week (30/01 to 05/02/2016) so far. Around 7,300 of them have been doing so since October 2015, with the reporting data reflecting only a small part of reality, as not all patients with flu symptoms go to the doctor or are tested there for influenza.
Frequent flu infections in healthy people. Picture: Kurhan - fotolia More adults than usual
The fact that so many people get flu at the beginning of February is not unusual, because influenza, popularly known as "genuine flu", has its peak season every year between January and February. Unusually, however, is the patient group that is currently affected. For as it currently looks, more adults in middle age are flat than usual, while in the age groups of children (0 to 14 years) and the over-60s, according to RKI figures, a decline in the values was recorded. The reason for this is probably that the flu season is currently dominated by the circulating since 2009 virus H1N1 ("swine flu"), the influenza expert Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Silke Buda, told the news agency "dpa".
"The virus also seems to cause more severe disease courses in younger adults and persons without chronic pre-existing disease than the A (H3N2) virus, which was common in the previous year." Nevertheless, the disease take this country only in relatively rare cases a difficult course, also fit the current vaccine is still good for the virus, adds Buda. Nevertheless, physicians would have to focus increasingly on patients between the ages of 15 and 59. According to the expert, there have also been increasing reports internationally of severe influenza cases in intensive care units, some of which have detected the H1N1 virus. However, the common name "swine flu" could lead to misunderstandings, because "it sounds as if it is a virus that circulates in pigs," Buda continued.
H1N1 triggered 2009 influenza pandemic
However, this is not the case for the new influenza virus variant of subtype A (H1N1), which caused the global occurrence of influenza pandemics in 2009. For, like common influenza, it is predominantly transmitted by droplets, e.g. due to coughing, sneezing or when talking on the mucous membranes of contact persons. If you have been infected, the influenza typically begins very suddenly, the first signs are high fever, head and limb pain, later usually come to the nose, coughing and sore throat.
Influenza viruses are generally subdivided into types A, B and C, which in each case trigger different types of disease and can change genetically from season to season. Although the new H1N1 virus is still relatively new to the human immune system, Buda has already circulated it in previous years. Thus, the proportion of influenza infections was e.g. 15% in 2014/2015, but this season it is already 70%, according to the expert. However, that could change, because it may spread the type B influenza even more than before: "In Influenza B, it is often the case that the proportion in the course of the season still increases."
According to the RKI, influenza B viruses are currently the most frequently detected influenza virus in the 2015/16 season, currently accounting for 22 percent of H1N1 virus cases. From an expert's point of view, as the situation evolves, it is also important in terms of the accuracy of flu vaccines, as currently circulating influenza B viruses are not covered by the influenza B virus strain contained in the triple vaccines Buda.
Pay attention to thorough hand washing
Regardless of whether you are vaccinated or not, special attention should be paid to hygiene in order to avoid infection with influenza viruses. This includes, above all, the regular and careful hand washing, also advise experts not to sneeze, but always in a handkerchief or the crook of the arm and regularly to provide fresh air. If it has caught you yet, numerous options for self-treatment of flu and colds are considered such. the so-called "oil pulling" or natural medicine preparations from purple sunhat. (No)