“Continued increase in all flu indicators in mainland France”, warned Public Health France, this Wednesday, March 23. According to the public health agency, “all metropolitan areas are currently in an epidemic”. Corsica, until then the last region spared, has gone into the epidemic phase.
The rise of the flu has repercussions on city medicine and the hospital. I’epidemic activity intensity increased there in the past week, going from “low” to “moderate” in both cases.the flu remains present in Guyana, but the epidemic seems to be in decline there.
This flu outbreak is unusually late in the season. In recent years, the peak of the epidemic – measured by the consultation rate in relation to the number of inhabitants – took place in February. For Public Health France, this situation was “very probably favored by the end of winter school holidays and the easing of measures to control the Covid-19 pandemic“.
Moderately effective vaccine and particular previous winter
Other aspects may also explain a somewhat unusual situation. Thus, winter 2020-2021 was however special, due to the containment measures taken against the Covid. They had, by extension, helped block the circulation of many other microbes, such as the flu virus.
But, on the other hand, the French are therefore less infected than usual and are also less well immunized collectivelywhich may have favored a resumption of the epidemic this winter.
As to 2021-2022 flu vaccineinitial data estimate its effectiveness at 50% against all influenza viruses, but they will have to be consolidated in the coming weeks, according to the health agency.