Overview
- This week researchers published in PLOS Global Public Health a 14‑year analysis showing that seasonal waves of influenza, RSV and COVID‑19 closely tracked spikes in overall deaths in Germany.
- The study found that most of the excess mortality during those spikes was due to cardiovascular causes such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure, with tens of thousands of deaths occurring two to three months earlier across three winters.
- The COVID‑19 pandemic and control measures in 2020/21 suppressed usual respiratory seasons and, when measures eased, earlier return of viruses shifted the timing of infection peaks and the linked mortality peaks.
- Clinical and trial evidence supports a causal pathway: respiratory infections provoke systemic inflammation that can trigger cardiovascular events and a randomized trial showed influenza vaccination reduced 12‑month death after heart attack.
- Public‑health experts say the most direct way to lower these preventable deaths is higher uptake of recommended vaccines for influenza, COVID‑19 and RSV plus timely surveillance and targeted campaigns for older people and other vulnerable groups.