H3N2 is not the first name of the intergalactic robot that your nephews dream of discovering under the Christmas tree, it is the scientific name of the influenza virus which circulates mainly in France this winter.
Declared an epidemic last week in mainland France, with Brittany and Normandy above the thresholds, the flu now affects nine metropolitan regions, according to the weekly epidemiological bulletin of Public Health France: Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes, Brittany still, Burgundy Franche-Comté, Center Val de Loire, Grand-Est, Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France and Normandy, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
Corsica, New Aquitaine, Occitanie and Pays de la Loire are in the pre-epidemic phase.
Overseas,
All age groups are affected.
A very sharp increase in hospitalizations has been observed, particularly among people aged 65 and over, notes the agency, which also relies on the Sentinels network of city doctors.
32 serious cases of influenza were admitted to intensive care
In one week, doctors in the office noted a 39% increase in consultations for flu syndrome when the emergency services observed + 94%.
In fact, hospitalizations for influenza after a visit to the emergency room jumped by + 112%.
Since the start of the observation phase by the health authorities on October 3, 32 serious cases of influenza have been admitted to intensive care.
And of the 39,261 deaths declared in France by doctors electronically, 38 have the flu as the cause of death, including 21 last week.
Among these 38 people, one was under the age of 15 and 32 were 65 and over.
