Little flu found among respiratory complaints in the Netherlands
RIVM sees low flu activity, but public figures do not show that one virus causes most colds.
Cold symptoms do not automatically mean that someone has flu. The latest public surveillance from RIVM and Nivel instead shows little flu, but is too limited to establish which virus is currently behind runny noses in most people.
On 23 September, RIVM reported that there was little flu in the Netherlands. In the general population, among GPs and in laboratory data, little influenza virus had been found in recent weeks. Besides flu, rhinovirus, seasonal coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 can also cause respiratory symptoms.
The symptoms overlap considerably. A runny or blocked nose, sore throat or cough can occur with different respiratory viruses. Symptoms alone therefore cannot reliably establish which virus someone has. RIVM uses a combination of self-reporting, GP data and laboratory research for this purpose.
The available Nivel figures for week 38, from 14 to 20 September inclusive, are based on a small sample. GPs at sentinel practices took four samples from patients with an acute respiratory infection. One sample was positive for a parainfluenza virus; no rhinovirus, influenza virus or SARS-CoV-2 was found in this sample.
That result does not mean that rhinovirus or coronavirus was absent throughout the Netherlands. Four samples are not representative of everyone with symptoms. In addition, test results sometimes arrive later, and people can have several infections at the same time.
RIVM also examines samples from people with respiratory symptoms through Infectieradar. Participants are asked to take a coronavirus self-test and sometimes to send in a nose and throat sample. This gradually creates a broader picture, but these data too are surveillance data, not an individual diagnosis.
The claim that most people with cold symptoms have rhinovirus or coronavirus cannot be confirmed by the available public sources. The sources do show that little flu is currently being detected and that several viruses can cause the same symptoms.
For readers, the practical conclusion is limited: symptoms do not automatically indicate which virus is involved. People who feel ill can follow RIVM's general advice, such as staying at home when sick and taking account of people with vulnerable health. The data provide no basis for choosing a treatment or determining a testing policy oneself.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The available surveillance confirms little flu, but not the claim that most symptoms are caused by rhinovirus or coronavirus. The claim has therefore been toned down and described as unconfirmed.
- confirmed On 23 September, RIVM reported low flu activity. — RIVM's current flu page. source
- confirmed In Nivel week 38, four samples were examined and one sample was positive for parainfluenza. — Nivel's weekly overview. source
- uncertain Most cold symptoms are currently caused by rhinovirus or coronavirus. — The public sources provide no representative evidence for this. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: Most people with cold symptoms have rhinovirus or coronavirus.Now: The public surveillance data do not show that rhinovirus or SARS-CoV-2 currently account for most cold symptoms. (The available sample is too small and does not support this general claim.)
Editor's note
The sources confirm low flu activity and broad monitoring of respiratory viruses. They do not confirm that rhinovirus or coronavirus currently cause most cold symptoms; the available Nivel sample is too small for that.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „griep verkoudheid”
- NOS — „griep verkoudheid”
- Het Parool — „griep verkoudheid”