According to calculations by the Institute for the World Economy (IfW), the current severe wave of influenza could cause up to 40 billion euros in economic costs in Germany.
“The loss of work due to illness alone could result in a loss in gross value added of more than 30 billion euros for the German economy and, in the event of a very unfavorable course, even more than 40 billion euros,” quoted the “Welt am Sonntag” from the calculations.
How high the costs due to the loss of work actually are depends largely on the duration of the influenza wave. According to the report, in a pessimistic scenario, the institute expects the disease to last into the third week of April 2023 and by then to be 50 percent higher than in the last severe flu wave in winter 2017/18.
In this scenario, up to 650,000 cases of influenza would be feared. If this scenario occurs, the gross national income could drop by more than 40 billion euros, the newspaper reported from the calculations of the IfW. (AFP)
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