Last week was marked by a “slowdown in the circulation of influenza viruses but a maintenance at a high level”, noted Public Health France in its weekly report.
The flu epidemic, which is currently affecting all regions of mainland France and most of the Overseas Territories, is early this year.
Last week “flu indicators were down in city medicine and emergencies, but hospitalizations and deaths continued to increase, particularly among people aged 65 and over”, notes Public Health France.
The agency also warns that if “the end of year holidays generally favor the decrease in the circulation of the flu”, a rebound can be observed following the start of the school year.
The bronchiolitis epidemic continued in mainland France as well as in Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique and Mayotte.
But the agency noted a “decrease in emergency visits and hospitalizations following emergency visits among children under 2 years old in mainland France for the fourth consecutive week”.
The health system has been under strain for several weeks due to a triple epidemic of Covid, bronchiolitis and influenza, which is weighing on emergency services.
In this context, the health authorities are once once more calling on people at risk – especially the elderly – to be vaccinated once morest influenza and Covid, while vaccination campaigns are lagging behind this year.
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