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Photo: CC0 via Pixabay
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The number of flu cases registered by GPs is leveling off. The figures that the research institute Nivel keeps track of have now been at about the same level for three weeks.
In 62 percent of the samples that GPs took from patients last week, an influenza virus was found in the laboratory of the RIVM. Such a percentage is “typical for flu epidemics in the Netherlands”, according to Nivel.
The weekly sample of GPs consists of dozens of samples. In addition, about 45 practices in the country register how many people report ‘influenza-like’ complaints. That data is then translated to a larger group. According to the Nivel report that appeared on Wednesday, 42 people per 100,000 inhabitants went to the doctor last week with flu-like complaints. That number is in the same order of magnitude as in the two weeks before.
Together with Erasmus MC, RIVM and Nivel officially announced on 16 March that there is a flu epidemic. Normally, a flu wave only deserves that name if two weeks in a row more than 58 out of 100,000 people visit their doctor with flu-like symptoms and at least 10 percent of these people have the influenza virus.
The current figures are thus clearly below the usual ‘epidemic limit’. Nevertheless, the institutes consider that there is an epidemic, because they estimate that fewer people now go to the doctor with flu symptoms than during previous flu waves. That has everything to do with the corona pandemic.
“The flu symptoms are very similar to those of the coronavirus and many people with flu-like symptoms will go to a GGD test street or do a self-test,” explains Nivel.
The number of flu cases started to rise after all corona measures were released. Since then, people have had more and closer contact with each other, which also gives other respiratory viruses more opportunities to spread.
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