The flu is coming later than usual, but it’s here! The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region is in an epidemic, and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques are more affected than the rest of France. According to the latest data from Public Health France, 13.1% of SOS Médecins medical procedures (between March 7 and March 13) were flu-related, compared to 11.7% nationally. The SOS Médecins Côte basque service is seeing the number of positive influenza A tests climb, while the number of Covid-19 antigen tests is declining according to its president, Dr Stéphane Sauvagnac, who practices in Anglet. These tests are the only way to accurately distinguish the two diseases, whose symptoms are very similar.
“We see around 30 to 40 positive cases of influenza per day, and around ten positive cases of Covid-19”explains Dr. Sauvagnac. “There are very few differences in symptoms. The flu, we know that it gives fever, aches and it happens quite suddenly: you are very well, and two hours later, you start to have symptoms which appear from brutal way. These are the first signs of the flu. Now the other symptoms are completely equivalent with the Covid.”
Next week, or the week following, we will be on the peak, and little by little, it will go down, especially with the temperatures. There is a climatic side which means that it will quickly drop – Stéphane Sauvagnac, president of SOS Médecins Côte basque
For the doctor, the decrease in respect for barrier gestures is one of the reasons for this upsurge in cases. “Now we are going to take off the mask, it is difficult to ask people to put it back on to avoid flu epidemics. , like the Covid epidemic, moreover, which has also picked up a little. We will get to the peak quickly.”