Belgium's flu epidemic, which started late last year, has now peaked but is not over yet, according to the Sciensano weekly report published on Wednesday.
Last week, there were 532 GP consultations for flu-like symptoms per 100,000 inhabitants, indicating a slight decrease from the previous week's 537 consultations per 100,000.
Hospital admissions for the flu are on the rise but have not matched the highs seen in previous years. Sciensano has warned of extra strain on health services and has raised the alert level for respiratory diseases to code orange, which is likely to remain in place for several weeks.
These measures entail recommendations for vulnerable people and others surrounding them to wear facemasks (preferably an FFP2 mask), as well as general use of masks in healthcare settings.
Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 infections has been falling for several weeks. From 27 January to 2 February, the incidence rate was 11 per 100,000 people, down from 14 per 100,000 the previous week. The positivity rate of tests and the presence of the virus in wastewater similarly show a downward trend.
