The flu epidemic is intensifying in France. All “indicators” are “sharply increasing”, according to Public Health France. As a result, the vaccination campaign was extended.
The flu epidemic which affects all metropolitan departments is gaining in intensity with a “sharp increase” in “all indicators”, alert Public Health France this Wednesday January 31 in its Acute Respiratory Infections Newsletter.
During the week of January 22 to 28, “the rate of consultations for all ages combined for influenza-like illness” was 358 per 100,000 inhabitants compared to 246 per 100,000 inhabitants the previous week. This number is estimated from data from the health monitoring network Sentinelsspecifies Public Health France.
Increase in emergency visits
The number of visits to the emergency room for flu or influenza-like illness saw a sharp increase of 46%, as did the number of hospitalizations after a visit to the emergency room (+41% compared to the previous week).
“In the overseas departments and regions, Guyana and the territories of the West Indies remained in an epidemic” the week of January 22 while in Mayotte “the flu indicators had returned to their base level”.
As of November 30, flu vaccination coverage among people at risk targeted by the campaign was 38%, including 42.8% among those over 65 and 20.9% among those under 65 at risk of severe flu. . According to Public Health France, these figures are lower than those of last season on the same date.
Therefore, health authorities have decided to extend the flu vaccination campaign until February 29, although it was supposed to end at the end of January.