The flu epidemic is coming! A first French region, Occitanie, has gone into the epidemic phase and the health authorities expect the others to follow soon.
"The circulation of influenza in France has begun and we can expect that all metropolitan areas will be in the epidemic phase in the coming weeks," said epidemiologist Sibylle Bernard-Stoecklin on Wednesday. health agency Public Health France.
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According to the weekly bulletin published Wednesday by Public Health France, Occitanie is the first French region where the epidemic began, during the week of December 31 to January 6. Ten other regions are in pre-epidemic phase (against five the previous week). Only two regions, the Pays-de-la-Loire and Corsica, are not yet concerned.
Vaccination coverage levels remain insufficient. According to Public Health France, the vaccination coverage of people at risk in France "increased from 41.3% to 42.9% (+ 1.6%)". This estimate, which was drawn up on November 30, is based on reimbursement figures for vaccines by health insurance.
"We must rejoice in this increase but also relativize it, because we remain at very inadequate levels of vaccination coverage, far from the target of 75% of subjects at risk," said the head of vaccination at Public Health France , Daniel Levy-Bruhl.
The recommended vaccination for some 12 million people. Influenza vaccination is particularly recommended for people over 65, patients with certain chronic diseases (diabetes, heart or respiratory failure ...), pregnant women and people suffering from morbid obesity, or about 12 million people , according to the Ministry of Health.
Starting this winter, all adults for whom vaccination is recommended can withdraw their vaccine at the pharmacy, simply by presenting their health insurance voucher (the vaccine is reimbursed at 100%). They can then be vaccinated by a doctor, nurse or midwife. In four test regions (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Hauts-de-France, New Aquitaine, Occitanie), all those concerned by the recommendations can also be vaccinated in pharmacy.
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Last season, in 2017-18, the epidemic was particularly severe (with 2,770 severe cases in intensive care), early and long, according to a report established last October. The mortality attributable to influenza was significant (12,982 deaths, 85% among the over 75s) but lower than in 2014-15 (14,490 deaths) and 2016-17 (14,358 deaths).