The measures taken in the fight against Corona are having an effect - also against seasonal flu.
Doctors consider wearing masks to be useful in some areas even after the pandemic.
The measures taken to contain the
coronavirus
*
have a positive side effect.
The statistics show that fewer people
were affected
by seasonal
flu
in winter 2020/21
.
Doctors believe that it
makes sense to
maintain the
mask requirement
even after the
pandemic
in some areas.
Frankfurt -
Most people have now got used to
wearing
mouth and nose protection
due to the
corona pandemic
.
In addition to protecting against infection with the
coronavirus
, the
mask
and the other distance and hygiene regulations that apply in Germany also have an effective side effect.
The health insurance companies have significantly fewer sick leave due to the seasonal
flu
.
Because compliance with the so-called
AHA rules
- that is, keep your distance, wash your hands and wear an everyday mask * - not only helps to contain the
coronavirus
, but also
helps
against infection with the
flu
, also known as
influenza
.
Some doctors in
Germany
recommend wearing a
mask
in certain parts of the public space even after the corona pandemic.
Mouth and nose protection prevents infectious diseases: the flu
The
mask obligation
has in the fight against the
coronavirus
reinforced.
In some federal states this
has been tightened again
with the requirement that certain parts of the public even
wear
the more effective
FFP2 masks
.
Mouth and nose protection is essential when it
comes to
protection against infection and will probably accompany people until the
pandemic
is over.
And then?
+
Lockdown, mask requirement, contact restrictions: thanks to the measures taken against Corona, doctors have seen a decrease in flu infections.
(Symbol image)
© Charlie Riedel / dpa
It is quite possible that the everyday mask or medical
mouth and nose protection
* will continue to be firmly integrated into people's everyday lives.
Because, as also wa.de reported,
many people have been
spared the
flu
this winter
through contact
restrictions, hygiene
rules and
mask requirements
. *
As the "Welt" reports, the health insurances recorded a sudden increase in flu reports in 2018 and 2019 during Advent.
Not so in the Corona year 2020. That comes from a statistic of the insured numbers of the health insurance company Barmer, which is available to the "world".
Accordingly, the number of flu-related sick leave between the beginning of November and Christmas 2020, i.e. the period of the second
lockdown
, is said to have almost halved compared to previous years.
Corona crisis: Decline in sick leave due to flu
More precisely, this means that between November 1 and December 24, 2020, an average of between 435 and 763 Barmer insured persons per week were on
sick leave
due to
flu
.
In comparison: In the same period of the two previous years, an average of 923 to 1721 people with
influenza reported
unable to work
during the week
.
At least in part, this corresponds to a weekly decrease in influenza cases of almost 60 percent.
According to the
Influenza
Working Group
(AGI) of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), there has been a moderate increase in acute infectious diseases
since the beginning of 2021
, but the level of the increase is still well below that of the previous flu seasons.
In connection with this, significantly fewer doctor visits were registered.
"The
contact
restrictions *, the reduced mobility in
lockdown
and, of course, compliance with the AHA rules not only curb the
corona pandemic
, but also make the transmission of other infectious diseases more difficult," said Klaus Reinhardt, President of the German Medical Association, to the "Welt".
Mask to protect against infectious diseases: decrease in diseases caused by flu
The
health authorities and hospitals in
Germany
in particular benefit from
the lower number of people who
see their doctor
with the
flu
or other respiratory diseases
.
Because a lower number of influenza illnesses primarily relieves the burden on the health system.
The hospitals have more free capacities for
corona patients.
Especially for those who need intensive medical care.
In addition to the lower number of
flu illnesses
, doctors also registered a lower number of other infectious diseases such as gastroenteritis, i.e.
gastrointestinal flu
, or
diarrhea
caused by
noroviruses,
for example
.
In addition to wearing mouth and nose protection, washing and disinfecting your hands more often has a significant impact on this.
According to “Welt”, doctors and virologists in
Germany are
therefore
calling for the
permanent wearing of
masks
to reduce other infectious diseases - at least in some areas of public life.
This could, for example, reduce the risk of catching the
flu
or other infectious diseases
in waiting rooms in doctor's offices, nursing homes or on public transport
.
nation |
Influenza vaccination rate for people over 65 in 2018 |
|---|---|
South Korea |
85.1 percent |
United Kingdom |
72.0 percent |
USA |
86.7 percent |
France |
51.0 percent |
Germany |
34.8 percent |
Source: Federal Statistical Office |
Jens Spahn: Cannot cope with the major flu epidemic and the corona pandemic at the same time
In addition to the distance and hygiene measures due to
Corona
, the significantly larger number of people who have had a
flu vaccination
may have contributed to the fact that a smaller part of the population had to
grapple
with
flu
compared to previous years
.
Federal
Minister of
Health
Jens Spahn
*
repeatedly called in autumn 2020
to be vaccinated
against
influenza
.
Because: "At the same time, a major flu epidemic and a pandemic can hardly cope with the health system," said Spahn at the time.
Corona risk patients in particular should be vaccinated against flu, according to the Federal Ministry of Health.
The federal government in
Germany
already
procured
additional
influenza vaccine
in autumn
.
The Ministry of Health announced that a total of 26 million doses of the
flu
vaccine was
made available
for the 2020/2021 flu season
.
Almost twice as many as in previous years, when only a good 14 million vaccine doses were used.
(Yannick Wenig)
* fr.de and wa.de are part of the nationwide Ippen digital editorial network.
List of rubric lists: © Charlie Riedel