---
title: "South African flu numbers set for ‘August bump’ after schools reopened"
description: "While there is little indication that the flu was more severe this year, statistics across the board show that there has been a sharp increase in people receiving treatment for respiratory infections. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases expects to see the ‘August bump’ in flu numbers that usually coincides with the reopening of schools for the third term."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "SNIFFLE SEASON"
author: "Estelle Ellis"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/estelle-ellis/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-08-17-south-african-flu-numbers-set-for-august-bump-after-schools-reopened/"
published: "2023-08-17T21:08:45"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 384
---

# South African flu numbers set for ‘August bump’ after schools reopened

> While there is little indication that the flu was more severe this year, statistics across the board show that there has been a sharp increase in people receiving treatment for respiratory infections. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases expects to see the ‘August bump’ in flu numbers that usually coincides with the reopening of schools for the third term.

By Estelle Ellis · Published 17 August 2023, 23:08 SAST

## Key points
- South Africa's winter season saw a significant increase in respiratory tract infections and flu cases, with peak flu season occurring in mid-July, prompting the NICD to warn of a second peak after the winter school holidays.
- Discovery Health saw a 26.4% increase in members claiming for respiratory conditions from January to July 2023.
- Uptake of flu vaccines increased by 13.5% between January and July 2023 compared to 2022.
- The National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported an increase in flu-like illnesses and laboratory-confirmed cases from June 2023.
- The peak of flu cases was in the week of 4 June, persisting for six weeks until the middle of July.

## Content

It has been a tough winter season in South Africa with the country’s biggest medical scheme administrator seeing a significant bump in people needing medicine for respiratory tract infections.

Dr Ron Whelan, the chief commercial officer at Discovery Health, said the number of members claiming for treatment of respiratory conditions from January to July rose by 26.4% compared with the same period last year.

“Antibiotics and medications to relieve obstructive airway diseases were the medications most claimed for during this period.”

Whelan said they were encouraged by a 13.5% increase in the uptake of flu vaccines between January and July 2023 compared with 2022.

“In the last five years \[2019 to July 2023\], the highest uptake of flu vaccines across the Discovery Health Medical Scheme was in 2020 when 207,000 flu vaccinations were administered, and the lowest uptake was in 2022 when 147,000 flu vaccinations were administered,” he said.

But Whelan said they did not have data showing that the flu season was more severe this year.

“We are encouraged by the increase in influenza vaccination rates relative to 2022. However, we have not seen sustained influenza vaccination levels since the highs during the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.”

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) noted in June that flu-like illness had [increased](https://www.nicd.ac.za/increase-in-flu-cases-across-the-country5-june-2023/)from 10 April 2023.

At the time, the most common flu virus in circulation was Influenza A (H3N2), followed by the H1N1 variant, commonly known as swine flu, and Influenza B. Both the A and B strains of the virus are common seasonal flu strains.

From June, [laboratory-confirmed flu cases](https://www.nicd.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Weekly-RPSR-FluRSVSARSCoV2Pertussis-Week-31-Final.pdf) also increased and the NICD received reports of influenza clusters in congregate settings like workplaces and schools.

In its latest respiratory pathogen surveillance report, the NICD warned of a second peak of flu cases following the reopening of schools after the winter holidays. This was after analysing the data up to 6 August.

According to the latest available data, peak flu season was in the week of 4 June and this persisted for the next six weeks until the middle of July.

At surveillance sites, where the NICD screens specifically for influenza, most of the cases found were for H3N2 (bird flu) with most reported cases in the Western Cape, followed by Gauteng. **DM**