The latest epidemic bulletin from public health France devoted to the influenza epidemic reports a decrease in the epidemic throughout France, but some territories do not go into the “post-epidemic” phase. This is the case in Occitania, where the disease is still rife.
It has been nineteen weeks since Occitania has been in the epidemic phase in Occitania. Such a duration was already qualified three weeks ago as unprecedented.
This Wednesday, May 4, Public Health France is providing a new update on the circulation of the virus in France and if it underlines the overall decline observed at the scale of the territory (see below), the epidemic continues in our region, as in Paca, Corsica, New Aquitaine, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Ile-de-France.
[#Grippe] Epidemiological bulletin of May 4
u27a1ufe0f Transition to the post-epidemic phase of 7 regions: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Brittany, Centre-Val de Loire, Grand Est, Hauts-de-France, Normandy and Pays de la Loire
ud83dudc49 To view the newsletter https://t.co/yRlwdGoQZa pic.twitter.com/8i1iye1HDG– Public HealthFrance (@SantePublicFr) May 4, 2022
The rest of the metropolitan regions are returning to the “post-epidemic” phase, notes the bulletin.
Overall decline in indicators
Compared to last week, the national flu figures are beginning to decline. Indeed, over the last 7 days, the incidence rate has dropped by 20% to 60 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in week 17.
Visits to the emergency room for flu-like illness have dropped by 55% compared to last week, as have hospitalizations after a visit to the emergency room for the same reason, down 56%.
Since the start of surveillance (week 40 of 2021) 449 serious cases of influenza have been admitted to intensive care, including 5 cases this week, further specifies SPF.
“Usually the epidemic ends in March”
Three weeks ago, when we were already talking about the exceptional duration of this flu epidemic in Occitania, Nicolas Sauthier, crisis director at the regional health agency, indicated: “There are quite a few serious forms, but Occitania has gone through sixteen weeks of epidemic, with a marked dynamic for three weeks. Such an extension in time is unprecedented. Usually the outbreak ends in March.”
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He explains that two strains of the virus have predominated: H1N1, “which first affected children”, and today H3N2 affects “older people”.