A wave of respiratory diseases has been plaguing Germany for weeks. The Robert Koch Institute is now reporting a slight decline. In children in particular, the number of illnesses is falling significantly. Nevertheless, the values are still above average.
The number of acute respiratory illnesses in Germany has fallen slightly while remaining at an above-average level. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the decline is mainly due to a sometimes significant drop in the number of illnesses in children up to the age of 14. The data estimated with the help of citizen information refer to the previous week (December 12-18), i.e. week 50.
Overall, however, the spread of acute respiratory diseases is still well above the level of previous years at the peak of severe flu waves, said the RKI's influenza working group in its weekly report for week 50.
According to the report, around 2.3 million people visited a doctor for an acute respiratory disease in the week. A graphic of doctor consultations broken down by age group shows, after a steep increase in the past few weeks, a significant decrease in the 0 to 4 year olds and the 5 to 14 year olds.
Nonetheless, the figures remain at an above-average level. The majority of the samples sent to the RKI by certain medical practices showed the flu virus, followed by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Only a very small part contained the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus.
In the third winter after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Germany is experiencing an exceptionally high rate of infection. However, the mass of respiratory diseases is currently not due to the Covid pathogen Sars-CoV-2, but to other viruses.
