Dec 20, 2023 at 6:02 PM Update: 14 minutes ago
The number of people with respiratory complaints in the Netherlands is increasing further, the RIVM reported on Wednesday. There has been a flu epidemic since last week. A record number of coronavirus particles have also been found in sewage water.
For two weeks now, more than 56 in 100,000 people have been visiting their GP with flu complaints. This situation is referred to as an official flu epidemic. The flu virus appears in various places in the Netherlands.
In addition to the flu, corona is also spreading again. This week, the RIVM found a record number of virus particles in sewage water. This is an increase of 16 percent compared to last week. Since the start of measurements in 2020, so many particles have never been found: a record number of people have corona.
Although the coronavirus is not an ordinary flu, the Ministry of Health is not very concerned. No additional measures are therefore necessary. On average, a corona infection is now much less risky than during the pandemic.
The number of pneumonias continues to increase
Other respiratory infections are also becoming increasingly common. For example, the rhinovirus and the RS virus are on the rise, according to figures from Nivel, the healthcare research institute. The number of people with lung cancer is also increasing, especially among children and people aged 4 to 24.
The peak is much higher than in recent years. About 140 out of 100,000 children aged four to fifteen years went to the doctor with pneumonia. The RIVM will therefore investigate the increase. Nivel will ask general practitioners to send extra throat and nose samples to the RIVM. “We hope for as many samples as possible, so that we can properly investigate what is causing this increase,” a RIVM spokesperson previously told NU.nl.
The RIVM advises people who have complaints consistent with a respiratory infection to follow the advice to prevent spread. By this they mean, for example, staying home if you are sick, coughing into your elbow and avoiding contact with people who are at extra risk if they become ill.
2023-12-20 17:02:53
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