The flu epidemic caused 7,200 deaths

The season of influenza comes to an end. The hour of reckoning has arrived. The last weekly epidemiological bulletin (BEH) on influenza of Public Health France draws up an inventory of the impact of the virus this winter 2018-2019. Main finding: with 7,200 deaths attributable to the flu, the epidemic was less virulent than last year. “Since the start of flu surveillance [du 1er au 7 octobre 2018 jusqu’à la semaine du 25 février au 3 mars 2019]about 7,200 deaths of all ages are attributable to influenza, 85% of which are among people aged 75 and over,” points out the BEH.

Over the 2017-2018 season, the number of deaths attributed to influenza was estimated at 12,980 deaths, 85% of whom were people aged 75 and over.

The flu is in sharp decline with the arrival of fine weather. “Influenza activity is down sharply in all regions. All metropolitan regions have entered the post-epidemic phase, except Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Corsica and Ile-de-France for which the indicators of the influenza activity has returned to baseline levels.

A “slight” progress in vaccination

Santé Publique France also provides an update on the rate of flu vaccination for the winter season which has just ended. It notes “a slight increase in vaccination coverage” as of November 30, 2018 compared to the estimates made as of November 30, 2017. “Coverage in mainland France increased from 41.3% to 42.9% (+1.6%) for all subjects at risk (people aged over 65, pregnant women, people with chronic illnesses, etc.) The increase is 1.7% in subjects aged 65 and over ( from 45.3% to 47.0%) and from 0.9% (from 24.9% to 25.8%) in subjects at risk under 65 years of age.

Are these data a sign of better public awareness of the importance of vaccination? This year vaccination campaignagainst the flu has apparently been a victim of its own success: some pharmacies had come up against stock-outs of influenza vaccine.

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