Flu wave in Austria: Over 58,000 sick reports in week 44!

Flu wave in Austria: Over 58,000 sick reports in week 44!

The flu season has begun in Austria and the numbers are rising worryingly. In calendar week 44 (week 44), the health authorities recorded a total of 58,407 sickness reports due to flu-like infections, which corresponds to an increase compared to the previous year, when 54,571 cases were registered at the same time. This is a clear indication of the increasing spread of influenza in the population. According to 5min.at, the number of real flu cases rose from 380 to 444.

The federal states of Vienna, with 17,695 cases, and Upper Austria, which reported 10,515 cases, are particularly affected. An increase in sickness reports has also been recorded in Carinthia, where 2,700 people were recently on sick leave due to flu-like infections, as well as in Styria and Tyrol. Hospitals and doctors' practices are preparing for a possible peak of the influenza season, which, according to the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), is still to come.

Flu vaccination as a protective measure

The ÖGK urgently recommends a flu vaccination to protect yourself and others. This is free and should be refreshed annually. Most sufferers recover within a few days, according to authorities, but warnings of a major surge related to the disease are growing. This development comes at a time when Covid-19 cases in Austria are declining: 3,008 sick reports were recorded last week, compared to 9,283 last year.

As of July 1, 2023, Covid-19 is no longer a reportable disease, which has changed the way health authorities collect data. Current information on the spread of Covid-19 in Austria is available via the website abwassermonitoring.at, which continues to enable monitoring of virus outbreaks.

International perspectives

While Austria is battling a flu epidemic, it is interesting to see how this situation is portrayed in other countries. In Chandigarh, India, sources report local conditions. The district of Airport Road, Sector 73, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar in Chandigarh is 334 meters above sea level. Here people mainly speak Punjabi and Hindi and the current temperature is 27.7 °C with a humidity of 31%. This information could clarify health status in different regions and show how different diseases occur in different geographical contexts.

Overall, the current flu situation in Austria highlights the need for preventive measures and public health education. It is all the more evident that early vaccinations and education are crucial in order to contain the further spread of the virus.