New year starts with a decrease in the number of people with flu, corona and infections

This article was last updated on January 4, 2024

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New year starts with a decrease in the number of people with flu, corona and infections

We are entering the new year healthier: the number of people with flu, corona or other infections has decreased. This is evident from figures from the RIVM and health organization Nivel.

In December, more than 56 in 100,000 people visited their GP with flu complaints. That basic level was exceeded for two weeks, making it an official flu epidemic, according to the RIVM. That number has now dropped to 27 per 100,000 people.

There is therefore no longer a flu epidemic. There was an epidemic around this time last year. At that time, more than 66 people per 100,000 suffered from the flu virus.

The number of people with corona has also fallen considerably. According to the RIVM, the amount of virus particles in the sewer had dropped by 35 percent at the end of December compared to the week before.

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This week, the number of people with a positive corona test fell again. The number of average daily hospital admissions fell from 165 to 141.

In December, a record number of virus particles were measured in the sewer. Although that number is now declining, it is still considerably higher than last year.

Fewer pneumonias, but still more than usual

In addition to corona and the flu, other viruses are also less prevalent. For example, the number of children aged five to fourteen with pneumonia is decreasing. The number of children with pneumonia last month was 140 per 100,000. That number has now dropped to 80.

However, there are still considerably more than normal. That is why RIVM is investigating this increase. Nivel will ask general practitioners to send extra throat and nose samples to the RIVM.

“We hope for as many samples as possible, so that we can properly investigate what has caused this increase,” a RIVM spokesperson previously told NU.nl.

Less scabies, whooping cough and RS virus

For the first time, the number of people with scabies is smaller than a year earlier. Currently, about 75 out of 100,000 people suffer from scabies.

The condition mainly occurs among people aged 15 to 24. It is a major problem among students who live together in a house. Although a decline has started, the number of people with scabies is higher than in previous years.

The number of children with whooping cough has also fallen and the RS peak is over. The number of babies and toddlers with the RS virus has fallen further in the past two weeks, RIVM reports. There are also fewer children in hospital with the RS virus, which can cause various respiratory infections.