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Flu epidemic 2025

Flu season peak:
What you should know in 2025

During the cold season, people often talk about a “flu epidemic.” But what exactly does this term mean? When was the last major epidemic? How can you recognize the flu? And why is hand disinfection a crucial factor? We answer these key questions about influenza (flu) and provide facts and recommendations.

When was the last major flu epidemic in Germany?

The last major flu season was in the winter of 2024/25: Laut Robert-Koch-Institut (RKI)

When does a flu season usually begin and end?

The regular flu season in Germany generally runs from calendar week 40 (around the beginning of October) to calendar week 20 (around the middle of May).

Depending on how it progresses, the peak of the flu season can vary, but it is often between January and March. In the 2022/2023 season, for example, the flu season peaked in calendar week 50 of 2022, according to the RKI and ended after about eleven weeks in calendar week 1 of 2023.

A flu epidemic usually ends between the end of February and the beginning of April, depending on the virus, climate, vaccination rate, and behavior of the population.

Flu symptoms: How can you tell if you have the real flu?

Die Symptome bei einer echten Grippe (Influenza) sind meist deutlich stärker als bei einer „normalen Erkältung“. Typische Anzeichen sind:

  • The symptoms of real flu (influenza) are usually much more severe than those of a “normal cold.” Typical signs are:
  • High fever (100.4–104 °F or higher), chills
  • Headaches, muscle pain, and joint pain
  • Severe exhaustion, pronounced feeling of illness
  • Halsschmerzen
  • Dry cough (often without phlegm)
  • Stuffy or runny nose, loss of appetite, severe fatigue

The incubation period (the time from infection to the first symptoms) is usually 1-2 days. In uncomplicated cases, the symptoms subside after 5-7 days. Coughing or fatigue may persist for longer.

Important!

Some infected individuals only have mild symptoms that are more like a cold, or don’t feel anything at all, but are still contagious.

Why hand sanitizer and sanitizer dispensers are particularly important for businesses

Why hand sanitizer and sanitizer dispensers are particularly important for businesses

  • Influenza is mainly transmitted through droplet infection and contact infection, i.e. through coughing, sneezing, or touching surfaces and then touching the mouth, nose, or eyes.
  • In companies, many people are confined to a small space: offices, production facilities, entrance areas, cafeterias… and this increases the risk of flu viruses spreading quickly.
  • Hand disinfection can help prevent transmission, especially in high-traffic areas (entrances, kitchens, restrooms, common areas). A disinfectant dispenser helps maintain hygiene standards and interrupt chains of infection early on.

In addition, companies with disinfection stations send an important signal: they show that they take the health of their employees, customers, and guests seriously. This promotes trust and can help reduce sick days, which makes economic sense.

Which disinfectant dispenser should I use?

Our t touchless disinfectant dispenser are suitable for a wide range of industries:

  • hotel industry
  • restaurant business
  • medicine
  • supermarket
  • canteen
  • retail
  • elderly care
  • School & Kindergarten
  • and much more
To the Highline
To the white edition

We would be happy to advise you on which device is best suited to your company. Simply send us an email at info@steripower.de or give us a call. Tel.: 08151 555 15 16

How can you protect yourself?

  • According to health authorities, vaccination against influenza is the most effective protection and should be carried out between October and mid-December at the latest to ensure that full vaccination protection is established in good time.
  • Hygiene measures such as regular hand washing or disinfecting are crucial, especially in companies, schools, care facilities, or public institutions.
  • At the first signs of flu: stay at home, avoid contact with others, and seek medical advice if necessary. This is how you protect yourself and others.
  • Companies should develop strategies for the winter: provide disinfectant dispensers, raise awareness among employees, enable working from home where possible to minimize the spread.

Conclusion

The flu season hits Germany almost every year, usually between January and March, with symptoms that go far beyond those of a common cold. The 2024/25 season was particularly severe, with very high case numbers. Anyone experiencing symptoms such as high fever, cough, aching limbs, or severe fatigue should be cautious and avoid infecting others. For companies, hand disinfection is a simple but effective measure to limit the spread of influenza and thus protect employees, customers, and guests.

Sources:

https://www.rki.de/DE/Aktuelles/Publikationen/Epidemiologisches-Bulletin/2025/41_25.pdf

https://influenza.rki.de/Wochenberichte/2022_2023/2023-05.pdf

https://gesund.bund.de/grippe-influenza

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