Prof. Dr. med. Klaus Wahle, specialist in general medicine, answers the most important questions on the subject.
Who is particularly at risk of catching flu?
The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommends flu vaccination for certain groups of people at risk. All people over the age of 60, pregnant women from the second trimester of pregnancy and children, adolescents and adults with underlying illnesses, such as chronic lung disease (asthma, COPD), cardiovascular disease or diabetes, are particularly susceptible.1 They all have in common that flu is more likely to be severe in them. Medical staff and employees in facilities with a lot of public traffic should also be vaccinated against influenza.1
Why do cases increase during the cold season?
When it is colder outside and heated indoors in winter, the sensitive mucous membranes are irritated by the cold and dry heated air. If the mucous membranes are damaged, they can no longer serve as the body's own protection against illness and ward off viruses.1
What is the difference between the real flu (influenza) and a flu-like infection?
A simple cold, which is often referred to as a "flu-like infection", has nothing to do with the real flu. In contrast to the flu, which is only caused by influenza viruses, colds are caused by more than 30 different pathogens. This is why you can get a cold even if you have been vaccinated against the flu. A cold begins rather gradually with a cold and a scratchy throat.2 Typical symptoms of influenza, on the other hand, are the sudden and severe onset of illness with a high fever of up to 40°C. Flu sufferers also have other symptoms such as a dry cough, headache, muscle aches and aching limbs.2 This can also occur with colds, but in a milder form.2 In contrast to a flu-like infection, genuine flu can lead to various serious complications.
What should patients bear in mind if they want to be vaccinated against the flu?
Four different virus strains circulate worldwide during the flu season in the winter months. The WHO's forecasts on the spread of the virus strains determine the composition of the seasonal flu vaccines each year. Until now, triple vaccines have been used as standard, which only contain the components against three virus strains. If the virus strain not contained in the vaccine spreads, you can fall ill despite being vaccinated. A quadruple vaccine therefore offers broader protection, as it contains antigens against all four circulating strains. Until now, it was mainly the triple vaccine that was covered by statutory health insurance. In this flu season, the injection with the broader quadruple vaccine is now also generally covered for statutory health insurance patients. However, this does not mean that triple vaccines have been abolished. Doctors are encouraged to continue using them. Patients must therefore ask their doctor for the quadruple vaccine.
2 https://www.impfen.de/impfwissen/grippe-ist-keine-erkaeltung/DE/QIV1/
DE/QIV1/0008/17b; 07/17