Remscheid. Summer is over, autumn has arrived in Remscheid. This means that more and more people are getting sick again. Their noses are blocked, their heads and limbs ache, and they also have fever and coughs. The next wave of influenza is approaching. “The numbers are slowly rising across Germany,” says the head of the Remscheid health department, Jens Pfitzner. “But we’re not in that phase yet.” There are currently no reported flu outbreaks.
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The flu or influenza is a respiratory disease caused by viruses. It spreads through droplets – for example when sneezing, coughing or talking. In addition to mild cases, there are also severe cases, sometimes even fatal. People over 60, people with pre-existing conditions, nursing home residents and medical staff are particularly at risk of contracting the flu. In the winter months, there are repeated waves of flu in Germany. “They usually reach their peak at the beginning of the year,” explains Pfitzner. That will probably be the case again this season.
Australia shows how strong the flu wave could be
However, the head of the department cannot say with complete certainty how strong the wave will be. Australia, which has already almost overcome the flu season for this year, offers a reference point. “The flu wave in 2024 was stronger there. That could therefore be the case here too.” However, Pfitzner explains, the willingness to be vaccinated in the country around 15,000 kilometers away was also lower this year. “And the spread also depends on that.” If the willingness to be vaccinated differs, comparability is no longer possible. But that will only be seen when the time for vaccination comes here too.
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Best time for vaccination? Mid-October
“It is advisable to get vaccinated against the flu in good time,” says Bettina Stiel-Reifenrath, chairwoman of the Remscheid Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians and family doctor. Pfitzner therefore advises people over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions to get vaccinated in mid-October. “That is a good time. Then the season is not too far away and not too close.” According to the Robert Koch Institute, it takes ten to fourteen days after the vaccination for the vaccination protection to be fully built up.
The flu vaccination is a seasonal vaccination that needs to be refreshed every year. This is because the flu viruses change. About six months before the season, the vaccine is therefore adapted to protect against the viruses that are likely to appear. “Of course, this is not always foreseeable. But every vaccination strengthens the immune system and people are then better protected against similar viruses than without it,” says Pfitzner.
Flu vaccine: supply situation is good
The vaccine is currently being delivered. “The supply situation is good,” explains Pfitzner in consultation with pharmacists, all of whom have been supplied with it.
Corona infections will also play a role
According to Bettina Stiel-Reifenrath, in addition to influenza, rhinoviruses and the respiratory virus (RSV) are on the rise, as they are every year. Corona infections will also play a role again. However, to what extent cannot be predicted in advance. According to Pfitzner, there are currently a few cases again, but not all of them have been reported for a long time. However, the incidence is estimated to be higher than the actual PCR evidence. The viral load in the wastewater in sewage treatment plants provides evidence of this.
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High-risk patients and people over 60 should get vaccinated against corona again in the fall, says Stiel-Reifenrath, as the Standing Vaccination Commission also recommends. There is no combined vaccination against flu and corona (“That’s a shame”), but the vaccine can be administered in parallel. A vaccination against pneumococcus also makes sense.
RGA
