More than half of the metropolis is now affected.
Nine regions are now in the “epidemic phase” of the flu, according to the weekly report from Public Health France released on Wednesday.
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Burgundy-Franche-Comté, Brittany, Centre-Val de Loire, Grand Est, Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France, Normandy, Provence-Alpes -Côte d'Azur are thus affected, not to mention Martinique, Mayotte and Reunion overseas.
These last few days have been marked by a jump in contaminations and a “very sharp increase in hospitalizations, particularly among people aged 65 and over”, underlines the organization.
Bronchiolitis is here
The flu epidemic, rather early this year, is testing a health system tested by the recurrent waves of Covid-19, currently in full recovery, and, in babies, an epidemic of bronchiolitis unprecedented for a decade.
The latter continued last week with a persistent increase in hospitalizations, again according to Public Health France.
The peak has therefore not yet been reached even if the progression of hospitalizations is slowing down markedly and gives hope of a plateau in the near future.
For the time being, at nearly 3,000 weekly hospitalizations in mainland France, their level remains "very high", underlined the health agency, which nevertheless notes a start of decline in the epidemic in certain regions, such as the Island of -France.
A vaccination to boost
In this context of a triple epidemic, the agency reiterated its calls for vaccination, while the campaigns launched in the fall are insufficiently followed, whether for the flu or Covid reminders.
These campaigns target people at risk, especially the oldest - the threshold is 60 for Covid-19 and 65 for the flu - and pregnant women.
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