Overview
- General-practice surveillance confirms epidemic levels, with Gelderland recording 59 consultations per 100,000 last week above the 46 threshold after rising from 51, still below last year’s peak of 118.
- Hospitals report operational pressure, yet Stichting NICE logged 86 ICU admissions for acute respiratory infections in week 6, fewer than in the same week of the previous two years.
- The circulating strain is influenza A (H3N2), which has been dominant since October, and RIVM dismisses "super flu" characterizations from foreign media.
- Preliminary European data indicate this season’s vaccine provides a little over 50% protection against H3N2 illness.
- Public guidance urges people to stay home when ill, avoid contact with high‑risk groups, and use masks if contact is unavoidable, with most patients advised to rest and use symptomatic care such as paracetamol and nasal drops.