The flu wave has started – much earlier than usual

The most important news in the BRIGITTE ticker

What moves the world? What moves the BRIGITTE editors? In this ticker we summarize the most important news in November for you.

November 11, 2022

Flu wave has started

It had almost completely disappeared during the lockdowns – now it’s coming back with full force: the flu epidemic. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) dates the start of the wave to the last week of October, according to the weekly report on acute respiratory diseases. Doctors routinely take samples to identify pathogens such as rhinoviruses, Sars-CoV-2 and influenza. These results are the basis for the RKI.

“During the past few months, significantly more influenza reports have been sent to the RKI than in the pre-pandemic seasons at this time,” the report continues. The reason could also be the recommendation that, since the corona pandemic, respiratory symptoms should also be tested for influenza viruses. So far, more than 2,100 flu cases have been reported for the past week – a total of 8,330 since the start of the season. A particularly large number of reports came from Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia.

According to the RKI, in the years before the pandemic, the flu season usually began in January and lasted about three to four months. During the pandemic, the course was changed by the protective measures. In 2020/2021 there was no flu epidemic worldwide. And in 2021/2022 there was not a wave on the usual scale in Germany either. The reports did not increase until after the Easter holidays, ie very late. The current course is difficult to predict. In Germany, a flu vaccination is recommended for people over the age of 60, pregnant women, the chronically ill, residents of old people’s and nursing homes and people with an increased occupational risk.

November 10, 2022

Child benefit will be increased

It was already visible in the coalition agreement: Some changes are planned in the area of ​​family policy. The traffic light factions agreed on Wednesday that state support in the form of child benefit will be increased to 250 euros per month. For the first two children, families receive 31 euros more per month. The Bundestag will vote on the new sum on Thursday.

Due to inflation and the energy crisis, an increase in child benefit was also planned – but only an increase to 237 euros for the first three children was planned. Now the traffic light “puts a shovel on it when it comes to relieving families,” says SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich. The increase means additional relief, especially for families with low and middle incomes. “This is the largest increase in child benefit in the history of the Federal Republic,” says FDP parliamentary group leader Christoph Meyer.

November 9, 2022

Can coffee help against a corona infection?

A team from Jacobs University in Bremen, led by Professor Nikolai Kuhnert, has examined the effect of coffee on infection with the corona virus. In fact, the observations show that the hot drink can halve the likelihood of infection. This is mainly due to the ingredients. According to the scientists, coffee contains the chemical compound 5-caffeoylquinic acid, which can inhibit the docking of the spike protein to human cells.

The content of a cup of filter coffee (200 milliliters) contains around 100 milligrams of caffeoylquinic acid and, according to laboratory tests, is already sufficient to prevent the spike protein from docking. The findings from the study therefore suggest that coffee consumption helps to protect against infection. However, in order to prove the effect in practice, further research is required. Professor Nikolai Kuhnert says: “As chemists, we cannot answer the practical question of whether drinking coffee could really serve as a preventive measure to protect against infection. But we can say that it is plausible.”

November 8, 2022

Qatar World Cup ambassador: after inhuman statements – interview is terminated

“During the World Cup, many things will come into the country. Let’s talk about gays,” said Qatar’s World Cup ambassador and former national soccer player Khalid Salman in an interview in the ZDF documentary “Geheimsache Qatar” by Jochen Breyer and Julia Friedrichs , which will be broadcast this Tuesday (November 8, 2022). His inhuman statements could already be heard in yesterday’s “heute-journal”.

Salman continued: “The most important thing is that everyone will accept that they come here. But they will have to accept our rules.” Above all, he has a problem with children seeing gays. Because that way they would learn something that is not good. In his opinion, being gay is “mental damage.” After this statement, the interview was broken off by the spokesman for the World Cup organizing committee.

The World Cup in Qatar is highly controversial. Among other things, the emirate is accused of human rights violations, poor treatment of foreign workers and a lack of women’s rights. It was officially said that people from the LGBTQIA+ community are also welcome. However, Khalid Salman has now shown impressively that the statements are more illusion than reality.

November 3, 2022

It’s decided – the 49-euro ticket is coming

The federal and state governments have agreed – there will actually be a successor to the 9-euro ticket. In the future, a Germany-wide ticket for regional and local transport will cost 49 euros a month. The federal and state governments will share the costs of three billion euros. When exactly the new “Deutschlandticket” will start is still open.

Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing rated the agreement as historic: “Now the way is clear for the largest public transport tariff reform in Germany,” said the FDP politician. “Never before has it been so easy for people in our country to use the bus and train. We are rethinking mobility and protecting the climate with attractive offers.”

The “Deutschlandticket” will be available digitally or as a plastic card at an introductory price of 49 euros per month with a monthly subscription, according to a resolution proposed by the Chancellery. However, the price of the ticket may increase over time as it is adjusted for inflation. Nevertheless, the Deutschlandticket will be significantly cheaper than many tariffs that currently apply in the big cities.

Where exactly the ticket can be purchased is still unclear and will be clarified before the introduction. Since the 49-euro ticket will be cheaper for many commuters, you should discuss with your current provider before the introduction to what extent a switch to the “Deutschlandticket” is possible.

November 2, 2022

Success in cancer research: substance found against metastases

Half a million people are diagnosed with cancer in Germany every year. Whether they can be cured depends on the type and stage of the cancer. If metastases have already formed, the prognosis for healing deteriorates dramatically in many cases. To prevent this, the tumor is surgically removed before it can spread. However, it is not uncommon for metastases to form. Doctors therefore assume that the primary tumor suppresses the growth of metastases. But how this works has not been clarified for a long time.

Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center and the Medical Faculty Mannheim have now been able to solve this puzzle. In one study, the messenger substance angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPLT4) was examined. The messenger substance is not only carcinogenic, but also inhibits the growth of metastases, explains Hellmut Augustin, one of the lead authors of the study, in an interview with FOCUS online. The research team took a closer look at these properties.

It was already known that ANGPLT4 is formed by the cells of the primary tumor, promotes its growth and that the messenger substance occurs in the bloodstream split into an n-fragment and a c-fragment. The properties that promote tumor growth are in the c-fragment and the inhibitory properties are in the n-fragment, Augustin explains. While the c fragment is mainly found in the primary tumor, the n fragment is found almost exclusively in the blood circulation. The researchers were able to make very clear observations, particularly in people with black skin cancer: “If the concentration of the n-fragment in the blood decreased, then the survival prognosis for patients with metastases worsened,” explains the scientist. “So there’s pretty strong clinical evidence that this n-fragment is protective and keeps metastases at bay.”

A milestone in cancer research that gives hope and could improve the survival prognosis for cancer patients. But before a drug can possibly be developed from this, extremely complex and expensive clinical studies are required, which take years to complete. According to Augustin, some of these active ingredients that suppress metastasis have already failed in clinical studies.

Even more news

That was the news in October.

Sources used: Focus online, tageschau.de, adac.de, spiegel.de, zeit.de, fr.de, rnd.de, rki.de

jba / slr
Bridget