Stay vigilant: The Netherlands could soon face a flu epidemic now that schools have reopened. Children are likely to spread it rapidly among themselves, based on data from Grotegriepmeter.nl, a trusted flu monitoring site.
This online flu tracker, launched in 2003, now engages 17,000 Dutch participants. Flu-like symptoms are currently hitting children up to age 15 the hardest. Infections are expected to spread primarily at schools. So far, cases involve mild influenza B, severe colds, and a milder variant of the 2009 swine flu virus.
Related reading: Tips to prevent colds and flu
Epidemic?
Notably, flu consultations dropped in the past two weeks compared to prior weeks. NIVEL, the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, confirms the numbers fall short of epidemic thresholds.
New NIVEL data is due Thursday.
