If the flu thought it could hide behind the Covid-19, it failed. France launches its flu vaccination campaign on Tuesday, the authorities hoping to avoid a heavy epidemic in a health context already marked by a wave of Covid-19.
From Tuesday, those targeted will be able to get a free flu shot from a doctor, pharmacy, nurse or midwife. These people mainly include people over 65, pregnant women, severely obese (BMI over 40) and patients with certain chronic diseases such as diabetes.
The concern of an Australian flu
The flu vaccine will be reserved for them until November 15. Subsequently, all French people will be able to benefit from it, but at their own expense if they are not part of the target. If the flu is currently limited to a few sporadic cases in France, several experts are already worried about a difficult year.
In particular because of data from countries in the southern hemisphere, including Australia: the flu epidemic, which took place there before the countries of the North, resulted in fairly severe symptoms there. Concerns also stem, in several respects, from the context linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. After almost three years, “we use the mask much less, we pay less attention”, underlines the immunologist Jean-Daniel Lelièvre.
Another negative element, last year, in a context blurred by the launch of a booster vaccination campaign against Covid-19, the French received little vaccination against the flu: barely more than half of eligible people have done it. “So immunity tends to drop in the general population,” adds Jean-Daniel Lelièvre.