A start of reflux?
The seasonal flu epidemic remains very active, especially in mainland France and in part of Overseas, but shows signs of decline, the public health agency said on Wednesday, also noting that bronchiolitis and Covid continue to increase. flow back.
The week of February 5 to 11, “in France, the circulation of influenza viruses was still very active.
However, a trend towards a reduction in the majority of influenza indicators was observed in community medicine and in hospitals,” summarized Public Health France in its weekly bulletin on acute respiratory infections.
Fewer vaccinations
In hospital, visits to emergency rooms for flu/flu-like illness have decreased (-12% in one week, to 10,217), as has the number of hospitalizations subsequently (-3%, to 2,108).
Overseas, only Guyana and the West Indies were still struggling with the flu.
Fewer French people at risk were vaccinated against the flu this season: 45.9% at the end of December 2023, compared to 50% for the 2022-2023 season on the same date, and 52.7% for those aged 65 and over alone, compared to 54.7% a year ago.
For two other major respiratory epidemics, bronchiolitis, which mainly affects babies, and Covid, the reflux is almost over.
Bronchiolitis no longer concerns any region of the metropolis, and only one, Corsica, remains in the post-epidemic phase.
Overseas, only Mayotte remains in an epidemic, Reunion has moved to the post-epidemic stage.
In terms of hospitalizations, bronchiolitis will not have reached the exceptionally high level of the 2022-2023 season, but the epidemic will nevertheless have been significant.
Covid continues to decline
As for Covid, which until now causes several waves per year and not an annual seasonal epidemic, the indicators, in community medicine, in hospitals or in wastewater, continue to decline, or remain stable.
Barely a third of French people aged 65 and over have received an anti-Covid reminder since the start of the autumn campaign.
The High Authority for Health, requested by the ministry, recently declared itself in favor of “a spring vaccination campaign against Covid-19 for people aged 80 and over, as well as residents of nursing homes/USLDs (care units). long-term care) and immunocompromised people”, from April 15 to June 16.
She also recommended planning an extension until July 15 “if the epidemiological situation justifies it”.
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And, given the “unpredictability of a new epidemic wave of Covid-19 and the emergence of new, more virulent variants likely to lead to a drop in immunity against serious forms and deaths”, the HAS advised not to rule out an “earlier or broader” vaccination campaign if necessary.