Silent Night, Holy Night – one sniffles, one has a fever. Currently, many are suffering from respiratory infections. And Christmas is coming. How can we celebrate in a safer way, especially with people at risk in the family?
Well, is there a handful of people in your environment who have a bad cold or are they lying down? Probably yes, because by now an exceptionally large number of people are suffering from respiratory diseases in December.
Various pathogens are behind this, as the weekly reports from the Robert Koch Institute show. “The series of respiratory viruses is driven by influenza, then come rhinoviruses and RSV, especially in younger children. And then comes Corona,” says Prof. Mathias Pletz, pulmonologist and infectious disease specialist at Jena University Hospital.
Risk groups need protection
Especially when whole families get together for Christmas, there’s a good chance he’ll bring home an infection. A problem above all for those who have a weakened immune system due to previous illnesses and must therefore fear serious illnesses.
“For many, the corona virus no longer seems dangerous. But you have to look at the individual situation,” says Prof. Julian Schulze zur Wiesch, senior physician in the infectious disease section of the Hamburg-Eppendorf University Hospital. So when celebrating a 90-year-old grandmother or a brother who is in the throes of chemotherapy, families ask: How can we make Christmas a little safer?
Protection against infections starts in the previous days
There is plenty you can do in the days leading up to the festival. “A mini-quarantine of a few days can therefore make sense, reducing contacts,” says Julian Schulze zur Wiesch. In concrete terms, this can mean: Just before Christmas, do without the evening in the full pub. Or move to the home office for the last few business days if possible.
And: “If you want to celebrate with vulnerable family members, it makes sense, for example, to continue wearing a mask while traveling by train. Wearing mouth and nose protection is a simple and effective measure,” says Schulze zur Wiesch. “And do it consistently, even if others seem wrong.” In some federal states, there is no longer a requirement to wear face masks on regional trains.
He recommends discussing the topic of protection against infection in the family in advance, and especially to include those who need special protection. Is it okay if the neighbors come with the kids and the group gets a little bigger? Or if we sing as a family in the small living room, which creates more aerosols? Do we want to agree that we all do a quick corona test beforehand?
Julian Schulze zur Wiesch advises against relying on the suspicion that “nothing will happen”. “Many become infected through close contact with family or friends.”
Those who are sick stay at home
Everyone should follow one rule when it comes to Mathias Pletz: “If I feel bad, I stay at home, even if it’s difficult at Christmas.” After all, thanks to the pandemic, we now have the practice of celebrating by videoconference as needed.
And how can you create more security when the family is sitting together around the Christmas tree or at the banquet table? “Many don’t feel bad at all, even if they still shed viruses. That’s why regular ventilation is important,” says Mathias Pletz.
The first way is to wash your hands
Because aerosols, i.e. fine droplets floating in the air, can transmit flu viruses, for example. To send infectious aerosols outdoors, it is sufficient to ventilate for a few minutes in winter, according to the gegencorona.de portal of the Federal Ministry of Health. To do this, you should not just tilt the window, but intermittently or cross-ventilate it. And if someone around you coughs or sneezes, it’s best to open the window right away.
Keywords: cough and sneeze. The habit of doing both in the crook of the arm still makes sense, of course. Likewise, washing your hands, which significantly reduces the germ load on your hands. If you enter the house as a guest, it’s best to go to the bathroom first.
The Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) points out that soaping and washing should take at least 20 seconds. As long as two “Happy birthday” lasts, which can certainly also be replaced by “Your children are coming” on the holidays.
It depends on the vaccination
The most effective protection against severe infections are and remain vaccinations. So far, there is no anti-RS and rhinovirus, but there is anti-flu and corona. However, it takes about two weeks for the respective vaccine protection to develop optimally. Even if this will no longer be possible by Christmas: It is worthwhile to close the vaccine gaps quickly, because the flu epidemic, for example, is only picking up speed.
According to Mathias Pletz, a flu shot can also be beneficial for children. “On the one hand, the flu is by no means harmless, especially for young children, as the current situation clearly shows. On the other hand, children spread the virus much longer.” If children are vaccinated against the flu, this also protects grandparents or other vulnerable members of the family.
And vaccinations can be helpful in several ways. “There are non-specific vaccination effects that emerge again and again in studies. For example, shortly after a flu vaccination, the likelihood of severe corona courses decreases,” says Pletz.
The premise of science: The immune system is trained in such a way that this also results in better protection against other pathogens, even if it is not perfect or long-lasting. A particularly welcome effect this winter.
Weekly reports from the Robert Koch Institute portal gegencorona.de of the Federal Ministry of Health Overview of the mask regulations on trains
