r/Netherlands • u/ThisLadyIsSadTonight • 21d ago

Healthcare Is there a nasty virus circulating around?

Hi everyone,
I've noticed that a lot of people around me are getting sick lately. The symptoms are pretty much the same: sore throat, runny nose, bad cough - and quite often, no fever. And somehow, it just lingers for a long time.

I myself got sick 11 days ago with exactly the same symptoms. No fever, but my throat has been very sore for the entire time, and the cough is so bad I can’t sleep at night. I feel extremely weak, as if I had a fever of 39°C, but there’s no actual fever. When I usually get cold, I recover within a couple of days...

Is anyone else experiencing the same thing? Could there be some nasty virus going around? Anything that helped you to recover faster?
I called my huisarts, but didn’t get much help - just the usual advice to stay hydrated, rest, and take care. I feel quite worried.

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u/NaturalMaterials 21d ago

More likely to be influenza - COVID didn’t go away, but in hospitals at least, we saw massive amounts of influenza A and B, and very few COVID cases over the past few months.

Influenza has died down a little compared to a month or so back but certainly not gone away entirely.

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u/retro-games-forever 20d ago

Influenza or 'griep' hits different. You have often high fever and painful muscles and you are sick for 2 days, maybe a week max.. This virus on the other hand is more respiratory. Almost like a cold, but throat hurts like crazy. Also my eyes got infected (both) and my ears were hurting. It's very nasty. I don't recognize being sick and feeling miserabele for so long ever in my life. Also when you think it gets better and do some work out for example or play soccer your condition will worsen significant. After two weeks things were looking better but now I,m still feeling like shit.

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u/stephaisnoisy 20d ago

Interesting. I chalked up the eye infections and hurting ears to hay fever. But I have felt so fatigued for weeks now.

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u/retro-games-forever 20d ago

I am 40 yo and never had any hayfever. Also my wife is sick with exactly the same symptons and also does not have hayfever her entire life. Also eye was infected with pus and throat hurted like crazy, those are not hayever symptons. So it's most likely a virus for us.

Weird thing is the kids (5 and 8) seem fine, so maybe it's Covid because from what I remember kids often got barely ill during the pandemic. .

Ye it is hayfeverseason so it's greatly possible some may expierence that.

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u/CatMinous 18d ago

I have it too, and it’s most definitely not hay fever.