Influenza (flu)

Flu in Berlin — the specialist house call within the first 48 hours

Influenza is not a trivial cold. It typically begins within hours: fever above 38.5 °C, marked malaise, headache and muscle pain, often a dry irritating cough, and unusually intense fatigue. During the Berlin flu season — December through March — we see this pattern daily, in Mitte, Charlottenburg, Pankow and Steglitz-Zehlendorf alike, in pre-war apartments, hotel rooms and homes on the edge of the city.

The house call carries clear medical value in the first 48 hours after symptom onset. The antiviral medication oseltamivir works best when started early; a reliable diagnosis via rapid test enables a precise therapeutic decision. At the same time we spare you the crowded waiting room and reduce the risk of infecting other patients while febrile — or picking up a secondary infection yourself.

What the specialist does on a flu visit

The visit begins with a structured history: onset and course, comorbidities, vaccination status, medication. A physical examination follows — auscultation of the lungs, inspection of throat and tympanic membranes, palpation of lymph nodes, temperature and oxygen saturation. Rapid tests for influenza A and B and for COVID-19 typically yield a result in around 15 minutes; we add RSV or CRP when clinically indicated, for example when bacterial superinfection is suspected. The physician then discusses the therapeutic decision with you on this basis.

Flu or common cold — the key differences

A cold builds up slowly over several days with sore throat, runny nose and mild malaise. Influenza begins abruptly, often within an hour, with fever, marked weakness and muscle pain. Even so, clinical impression alone is not enough — experienced clinicians regularly confuse influenza, RSV, COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses. The rapid test delivers the certainty that symptom assessment alone cannot, and provides a defensible basis for prescription decisions.

How the house call works

You call our Berlin number or send a brief callback request via WhatsApp. We clarify the essentials within minutes: symptoms, address, comorbidities, insurance. We then dispatch the next available specialist physician. We are usually on site within 60 to 90 minutes; evenings and weekends often see shorter arrival times.

During the visit we take time for history, examination and rapid testing. With a positive influenza result we issue prescriptions as needed — oseltamivir, antipyretics, cough suppressants — and point you to an open pharmacy nearby. We can issue a sick-leave certificate where applicable. A careful safety-net briefing on when to call us again or to seek emergency care is always part of the visit.

Billing and insurance

Our service is aimed at privately insured patients and self-payers. We bill according to the German private medical fee schedule (GOÄ) via our Privatärztliche Verrechnungsstelle (private medical billing service). The invoice itemises every service — house call, examination, rapid test, any administered medication — separately. German private health insurance and civil-servant Beihilfe schemes typically reimburse these positions in full.

For international guests we issue the invoice in English on request. Most travel health insurers accept the GOÄ-compliant invoice; in individual cases our back office supports you with additional medical explanations. We remain reachable by phone for billing questions after the visit.