Massive flu wave grips Germany
February 20, 2020
While the world is living in fear of coronavirus, Germany has been dealing with a wave of winter flu cases that has resulted in a total of almost 80,000 cases.
Around half of these cases were confirmed within the past two weeks, according to the Germany's federal disease control agency.
A report issued by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin found 130 people have died as a result of the flu this season, while almost 13,300 have been hospitalized. A total of 79,263 cases have been recorded since autumn. The RKI estimates that 10 milllion visits to doctors in Germany were caused by the flu during the serious wave in the winter of 2017-2018.
Influenza is highly contagious and is transmitted from person to person, through coughs, sneezes or just proximity. It can also spread via door handles or handles in buses and trains.
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The number of recorded influenza cases within Germany this season exceeds the global infection toll of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, which currently stands at roughly 75,000 people. The total number of recorded deaths stood at 2,118, as of Wednesday.
DPA contributed to this report.