The flu epidemic that has affected France since November 2017 is “in stagnation” according to the latest report from Public Health France, published this Wednesday, February 21, 2018.
Within 10 weeks, 1,877,000 people consulted a general practitioner for influenza-like illness; during the week of February 12 to 18, 2018, the consultation rate in general medicine on this subject is estimated at 207 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The health agency (which is based on data from the Sentinelles-Inserm network) explains: “this incidence rate has continued to slowly decrease for seven weeks now”.
The regions most affected by the influenza virus are Hauts-de-France (493 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), Normandy (338 cases) and Pays de la Loire (331 cases). During the week of February 12 to 18, 2018, 4,432 hospital visits, including 625 hospitalizations, were recorded on French territory.
The flu epidemic is “in stagnation”
Santé Publique France specifies that “since the start of the epidemic, visits to hospital for flu syndrome particularly concern those under 5 (34%) and 15-44 years (26%)”. Hospitalizations, for their part, “mainly concern children under 5 (22%) and people aged 65 and over (50%)”.
Since the start of the flu epidemic (in November 2017), 1,873 serious cases have been identified – people have been admitted to intensive care. The flu has also caused 286 deaths, including 5 children aged under 5, 3 children aged 5 to 14, 110 people aged 15 to 65 and 178 seniors aged 65 and over.
In France, the flu vaccination campaign was held from October 6, 2017 to January 31, 2018: it mainly concerned seniors over the age of 65, pregnant women and adults with obesity.
Read also :
UV lamp to destroy influenza virus in the air
3-year-old girl dies of flu
Pregnancy: the flu shot does not increase the risks