Sore throat, fever, headache – there are reports of people getting sick in bed at home. Has the first flu wave of the season already started?

Every year, more and more people lie in bed in the autumn and winter months. Infections like flu or severe flu have caught them. Reports of sick people at home are also increasing these days.

Has the flu wave started in mid-September instead of October or November as in previous years? Raquel Kaiser of the Center for Humane Health at Uster ZH confirmed the observation. “We suspect that two years after the pandemic, the immune system is no longer used to common viruses,” says the family doctor. The immune system acts like a muscle that needs to be trained. Training was canceled due to pandemic measures, which is why the immune system is probably reacting to the influenza virus a little earlier than normal.

The fact that more people are currently sick has nothing to do with the change in weather. “Our body can handle it pretty well,” says Kaiser. Different viruses are present throughout the year. Only in winter will there be more contact points where they are more easily transmitted because people are less outside.

The flu and the common cold are often confused

Typical symptoms of flu are sudden onset of headache, sore throat and hiccups, fever over 38°C, chills, dizziness, runny nose, cough and pain in chest, joints and muscles. Unusual symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea and vomiting are also possible. An illness lasts between seven and 14 days.

The flu-like infection, also known as the common cold, is usually gradual and includes a sore throat, runny nose, and cough.

The intensity of flu season varies from year to year. Experts are excited to see how influenza fares this year after the pandemic has infected fewer people over the past two years.

This is how you protect yourself from getting the flu

First the bad news: The flu can affect anyone. But the good news is that the disease usually goes away on its own with patience and bed rest.

As a preventive measure, Family Doctor Kaiser strengthen the immune system by regularly exercising outside in the fresh air, airing several times a day, trying to avoid stress, getting enough sleep, and taking enough vitamins and nutrients. recommend to do. She also recommends maintaining pandemic prevention measures, such as regularly washing your hands and coughing into your crooked arm. Because flu viruses also most commonly spread through droplets.

The Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) and Cantonal Health Services recommend annual flu vaccination for people at risk. These include people over the age of 65, as well as pregnant women, adults and children with chronic diseases.

Protection only lasts for one season at a time and should ideally be done between mid-October and mid-November.