While several regions are already classified in the epidemic phase, Public Health France warns of the progression of the flu. The vaccination campaign, she skates.
“I don’t want to spend Christmas in bed.” In this pharmacy in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, Dominique, 64, is vaccinated against the flu for the first time. The growing number of cases convinced him to protect himself. For the health authorities, this winter placed under close surveillance. In its latest weekly bulletin, Santé Publique France (SPF) warns of the evolution of the flu epidemic. The flu-like illness consultation rate increased by 39% compared to last week. After Normandy and Brittany, seven metropolitan areas have entered the epidemic phase : Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Burgundy-Franche-Comté, Centre-Val de Loire, Grand Est, Ile-de-France, Hauts-de-France and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’ Azure. Overseas, Reunion, Mayotte and Martinique have been at the same level of alert for several weeks. Corsica, New Aquitaine, Occitanie and Pays de la Loire are in their pre-epidemic phase.
Faster distribution than previous years
The increase in the number of hospitalizations after going to the emergency room is observed in all age groups (+112% compared to the previous week), even if the over 65s represent half of the interventions. This increase in hospitalizations occurs in a context where France is facing a triple epidemic “completely new” according to SPF. The already struggling healthcare system is dealing with an epidemic of bronchiolitis at record levels for more than a decade in infants, flu ahead of previous years and Covid-19 experiencing a new outbreak. Its vaccination campaign is also lagging behind: on December 5, 9.7% of 60-79 year olds eligible for vaccination had received a booster adapted to omicron and 12.8% for those over 80 years old. “I think people no longer want to be vaccinated against Covid-19”, says Carole Taieb-Assous, manager of a pharmacy in the 15th arrondissement. However, the flu mainly affects the same public as Covid-19: people over 65 and people with comorbidities.
This influenza epidemic, of increased intensity, is spreading more rapidly than in previous years. In 2021, on the same date, the incidence rate of consultations for flu-like illness per 100,000 inhabitants was 79 compared to 201 this year. In question, a lower number of vaccinations. To date, 6.2 million French people have been vaccinated since the start of the campaign in mid-October, compared to 7 million in 2021 at the same time. An ignition delay that has worried the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in recent days, which has called on France to “redouble your efforts”. Public Health France has also encouraged those most at risk to get vaccinated. For pharmacists, the same story: “Now is the time to get vaccinated. You have to do it to protect yourself and your loved ones a few weeks before the end of the year celebrations,” says Philippe Besset, president of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France (FSPF). For its part, the government only wants to encourage the wearing of a mask, but caregivers, epidemiologists, patient associations urge it to impose it in closed places. Each year, the flu is responsible for more than 10,000 deaths in France.