Study investigates whether Oktoberfest causes an illness wave

A study is examining whether the illness often called “Wiesn flu” after Munich’s Oktoberfest reflects infections linked to the festival or a normal autumn wave, BR24 reports. Early findings suggest influenza is responsible for only a small share of cases, with other viruses likely causing most symptoms.

Stefan Max Brunner, a cardiologist at LMU Klinikum, began the research after catching an illness at the festival last year and finding little scientific data on the phenomenon. His doctoral students recruited festivalgoers near Hackerbrücke to take part.

Participants receive a questionnaire one to two weeks after the Oktoberfest. It asks how often they attended, whether they visited a beer tent and how much alcohol they consumed. Brunner’s team also takes samples from participants who become ill to identify the viruses involved.

The researchers are comparing those results with samples from Munich’s wastewater, collected during the festival at Theresienwiese, the Oktoberfest grounds. They are also testing in other cities without a folk festival to distinguish any Oktoberfest-related infections from a typical autumn cold wave.

Brunner says large crowds, heavy alcohol consumption, poor hygiene and exposure to cold nights may all contribute to people becoming ill. The study is ongoing, and the team aims to publish its findings before the next Oktoberfest.

Brunner says influenza has been found in some cases, but appears to account for only a small proportion of illnesses. If influenza or coronavirus is identified as a cause, vaccination against those viruses is an available preventive measure, he says. The study is not investigating a vaccine specifically for “Wiesn flu.”