The flu epidemic in the Netherlands has expanded significantly within a week. According to the RIVM and research institute Nivel, the number of people visiting their general practitioner with flu symptoms has increased from 76 to 118 per 100,000 inhabitants over the past week.
A week prior, the count was 58 per 100,000, indicating that the number of people with flu symptoms has doubled within two weeks. This marks the first time since the RIVM began publishing these figures in 2020 that more than 100 per 100,000 people have reported flu symptoms.
An official flu epidemic is declared in the Netherlands when at least 53 per 100,000 people report flu symptoms for two consecutive weeks. It remains uncertain if the epidemic has reached its peak.
Last year, the epidemic lasted nine weeks, from mid-January to mid-March, with approximately 215,000 people visiting doctors. Two types of the flu virus are most prevalent in samples collected by general practitioners, similar to last year.
The flu wave has already caused problems in healthcare and schools due to a high number of sick reports.
Source: NOS