AFP, published on Wednesday, February 01, 2023 at 12:33 p.m.
France has not yet finished with the “triple epidemic” which has put its health system under pressure, while the main health measures to fight once morest Covid end this Wednesday, which worries some experts.
After four consecutive weeks of decline, the flu epidemic started to rise once more last week. In total, ten out of thirteen regions are still in the epidemic, but the indicators remain “at a low level of intensity in towns and hospitals”, Public Health France said on Wednesday.
Last week, the positivity rate for influenza was up sharply (+13 points) in the city, with “an increase in the share of type B / Victoria viruses, which have become the majority”, underlines the health agency.
“However, this virus can quite reinfect people who have already had type A flu”, explains to AFP Benjamin Davido, infectious disease specialist at Raymond-Poincaré hospital in Garches.
The seasonal flu epidemic started early this season and added to a particularly intense outbreak of bronchiolitis in babies, as well as a wave of Covid.
Last week, bronchiolitis, which had been declining since the end of December, continued to decline over most of the territory. On the Covid front, the decline also seems to be confirmed. Last week, all the indicators were down in all regions.
– A bruised system –
“Amazed” at the absence of an epidemic resumption in January, Benjamin Davido explains this good news by the fact that the population, which endured an 8th and a 9th wave in quick succession, is generally well immunized.
“The question now is whether this immunity will hold up with the possible arrival of new variants,” he says.
“Currently, the situation is particularly favorable following a very difficult period at the end of December, which was the month of all dangers”, comments to AFP the epidemiologist Mahmoud Zureik.
“We can think that bronchiolitis is well and truly behind us; on the other hand, it has already happened in the past that the flu has experienced a rebound following a decline”, he warns. As for the Covid, “it has always managed to surprise us”.
Nevertheless, the health system remains bruised. After months of pandemic and this triple epidemic, “he is enduring difficulties which seem more and more difficult to bear”, estimates Professor Zureik, counting on an inexorable continuation of the “degradation of the quality of care”.
And, the human toll of this triple epidemic is not yet known.
– Take advantage of the lull –
For the future, doctors are worried regarding a relaxation of the main measures. From this Wednesday, the systematic isolation of positive cases and the carrying out of a test following two days for their contacts, which have fallen into disuse once morest the backdrop of falling cases, will no longer be required.
The follow-up of contact cases, via the “Covid contact” service managed by Health Insurance, will also cease.
From now on, the authorities are content to strongly recommend to people who have tested positive for Covid-19 and to people exposed to the virus, to respect barrier gestures, to be tested and to avoid contact with fragile people.
“It’s still light not to impose the wearing of a mask on a positive person”, regrets Mahmoud Zureik. “It would also be the right time to carry out substantive policies on ventilation, aeration, vaccination and barrier gestures in closed places and unfortunately this is not the case”.
The epidemic decline, which may not last, is an opportunity to prevent the arrival of future viruses, also believes Benjamin Davido.
“The best time to organize vaccination campaigns is during a lull”, underlines the infectiologist. “We should take advantage of the advance that we seem to have in January on the Covid virus to insist on the advisability of a recall with an updated vaccine”.
Ten days ago, health authorities announced an extension until February 28 of the national seasonal flu vaccination campaign. In addition to this vaccination, the reminder campaign once morest Covid remains open to all.