Kassel. The flu has arrived in the city and district of Kassel. The health department reports on 43 diseases so far.
The flu has already arrived in the city and district of Kassel. Since mid-December, the illnesses are rising steadily. The peak of the flu season this winter is yet to come, says Dr. Karin Müller, Head of the Health Department Region Kassel.
According to Müller, it has been in this flu season, so since mid-December 2017, a total of 43 diseases. 24 cases were registered in the district and 19 in the city of Kassel. All patients had to go to hospitals for treatment or would still be cared for there. The number of diseases is increasing week by week.
Hospitals are adapting to more influenza patients
A rapid increase is currently not visible. "This is not an epidemic," says Müller. With the culmination of the flu epidemic is expected again in early February, says the expert.
The hospitals in the city and in the county were prepared to receive more patients in the next few weeks. All health workers are aware of this, all clinics are prepared for it. The flu season can last until April, according to experience. Therefore, even now a preventive flu vaccine makes sense, explains Müller.
Influenza vaccine still useful
Between vaccination and onset usually pass two weeks. However, there is no 100 percent flu protection, emphasizes the head of the office. "The protective effect of vaccination is 60 to 70 percent." In any case, people over 60 years, chronically ill, pregnant women and employees in the medical and nursing should be vaccinated. The health department advises fourfold (tetravalent) vaccine. Eighty percent of the city and district sufferers had the flu caused by the influenza B virus. In contrast, a triple vaccine is often not enough.
A virus flu is more serious than a cold. According to the health department of the Kassel region, it demands between 5,000 and 15,000 lives each year in Germany. The virus flu differs from a severe cold by the sudden onset of high fever, headache and chills, explains Amtsleiterin Dr. med. Karin Müller. In addition, the risk of secondary diseases - such as pneumonia - is very high. Above all, people are at risk, whose immune defense is weakened, such as the sick and the elderly.
Regardless of the current discussion of vaccines, the health authority therefore advises and even now on a preventive flu vaccine . For the peak of the flu epidemic in the city and district of Kassel is, according to Müller's assessment, still ahead.
Quadruple vaccine against influenza as a recommendation
"Our recommendation is clearly the quadruple vaccine," stresses Karin Müller. Because unlike the triple vaccine in the quadruple vaccine protection against both components of the influenza B virus is included. And this B virus so far this season is what has caused most flu diseases. The costs for the quadruple vaccination would also be covered by the main health insurance companies this year , explains the head of the office.
Nationwide, the often non-influent flu shot already made headlines. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the triple vaccine does not deliver what one hoped for.
Triple vaccine more widespread than quadruple vaccine
Problem: The current triple vaccine is intended to protect against two virus variants of type A and type B. According to the institute, more than half of influenza cases detected so far have been caused by a second influenza B virus, which is not included in the triple vaccine. It was therefore estimated that the vaccine was ineffective in every other case.
The quadruple vaccine also includes the other B types. In addition to the health department, the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) is therefore in favor of using the quadruple vaccine in general. In some regions, however, the much cheaper triple vaccine has been the standard so far. Anyone who gets vaccinated should therefore ask their doctor if it really is the quadruple vaccine and insist.