Many children in Rhineland-Palatinate currently have a cold – and at an unusual time of the year for such infections. The reasons for this, however, are obvious.
“We have the completely normal respiratory infections that otherwise occur more frequently in autumn, winter or even spring,” says Christian Neumann, pediatrician in Zweibrücken and spokesman for the professional association of pediatricians in Rhineland-Palatinate. That depends on the weather: “We have weather like the beginning of autumn, so the conditions for cold viruses are ideal.”
Indication of less observed hygiene rules
For Neumann, the fact that there are so many colds is also a sign that people are less likely to adhere to hygiene rules such as distance, wearing masks and washing hands: “Infection with a cold works the same way as with the coronavirus.”
The pediatrician makes a comparison to last winter, when people in lockdown apparently adhered more strictly to recommendations such as the AHA rules and regular airing: “I’ve never had so few sick children as last winter.”
Wave is apparently limited to children
Barbara Römer, state chairwoman of the Rhineland-Palatinate family doctors’ association, does not see any accumulation of these diseases among adults: “Small children, especially kindergarten children, often have it. There is obviously a wave going on.”
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