That is an increase compared to the previous week, according to figures from the health institute Nivel. There is an epidemic when more than 58 out of 100,000 people visit their doctor with flu symptoms for at least two weeks in a row.
Twice as many sick reports
Last week, figures from Arbo Unie showed that there were twice as many sick reports as in the same period in 2021 and 2020, and a quarter more than in the years before the corona pandemic. A flu epidemic usually starts earlier in the year, but the corona measures have probably prevented the spread of the flu virus for a long time.
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After the measures were lifted, the number of flu cases increased. Since then, people have been in closer and closer contact with each other, making respiratory viruses more likely to spread.
Not a real flu
However, most people who stay at home with flu symptoms will not have the flu. According to the RIVM, you get real flu about once every ten years. “People often confuse the flu with a cold virus. Perhaps many people have forgotten how sick you can get from the flu.”
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A flu epidemic lasts on average nine weeks or longer. Arbo Unie expects that the number of flu cases may decrease due to the good weather, because viruses spread less easily as a result.
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