Always understand aching limbs as a warning signal

A real flu - not to be confused with a cold - must be taken seriously, as the influenza virus can be very hard on the body. The elderly and chronically ill in particular should be on their guard against it. A healthy organism can usually cope with the pathogen, but a weakened one cannot. That's what they always say. However, experts have now discovered that severe cases of the disease were more likely to be found in healthy middle-aged people last year than in senior citizens.

Not every infected person automatically falls ill

It can take one to two days from infection to the outbreak of the disease. However, not every infected person actually falls ill. Around a third have no symptoms. This is reported by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin.

Normally, waves of flu are expected to last until April and then subside. Until then, we can reduce our risk of illness by washing our hands well and strengthening our immune system, for example by eating fresh vegetables. There is also a vaccination that is always recommended from the fall onwards. Patients should discuss with their doctor whether it makes sense to catch up on this in March. This is because it takes around two weeks for the vaccine to take effect.