Saxony-Anhalt: Highest sickness rate in Germany due to a wave of colds!

Saxony-Anhalt: Highest sickness rate in Germany due to a wave of colds!

The latest DAK evaluation for the first half of 2025 has revealed alarming results: sickness rates have risen to 6.6 percent, which is slightly below the previous year's level of 6.8 percent. What is particularly striking is the increase in respiratory diseases, which have increased by 13 percent. This is particularly evident in the wave of colds in January and February 2025, which threw many employees out of sync. Loud Magdeburg clicks More than 55.7 percent of those in employment were absent at least once between January and June 2025.

A closer look at the data reveals that an average of 66 out of 1,000 employees were on sick leave every day, and the most common cause of absenteeism was respiratory diseases at 22 percent, followed by musculoskeletal diseases (19 percent) and mental illnesses (15 percent). The number of days missed due to respiratory diseases is particularly worrying: there were 158 days missed per 100 DAK-insured employees, which corresponds to an increase of 31 days compared to the first quarter of 2024. DAK CEO Andreas Storm warns: “The all-clear cannot be given when it comes to sick leave” and calls for an in-depth discussion about the causes of these absences, such as DAK reported.

Causes and developments

Doctors and health experts are discussing possible causes for the increasing numbers. In particular, attention is drawn to the increased spread of viruses, probably due to the ongoing after-effects of the corona pandemic. The AOK also reacts to this, explaining in an analysis that musculoskeletal diseases, together with respiratory diseases, are still the main causes of sick leave. The spread of viruses and the associated susceptibility to infections could play a role here, emphasizes AOK.

Nevertheless, there are also positive developments: sickness rates in the area of ​​mental illnesses show an encouraging trend with a decline of 8 percent. Days of absence due to musculoskeletal disorders have also fallen by 6 percent. On average, the duration of illness was 10.3 days per case, which is also an improvement compared to the previous year, where it was 10.8 days.

Conclusion

The data on health and absenteeism in the first half of 2025 show how important it is to pay attention to your own health and take timely measures. Prevention is particularly important in times of increased susceptibility to illness. The challenge is not only to take care of acute illnesses, but also to develop long-term strategies to promote health and increase work ability.