The flu epidemic remains sustained in France and is causing "high" activity in hospitals, the public health agency stressed on Wednesday, noting that a peak appears to have been reached in the last days of 2025 but warns that it may only be temporary.
During the week ending January 4, "the proportion of activity for influenza/flu-like illness among hospitalizations after emergency room visits continued to increase and was at a high level of intensity," Public Health France summarized in a weekly report.
For several weeks, almost all French regions have been affected by the seasonal flu epidemic. Only Réunion, already affected a few months ago, is an exception, but seems threatened by a resurgence of the epidemic.
And the proportion of influenza among deaths reported by electronic certificate has increased again, reaching a level of 6.3%, comparable to that of the same week in 2025. The 2024/2025 season had been particularly severe with more than 17,000 deaths.
However, some signs suggest that the epidemic has reached a plateau. General practitioner consultations have stabilized or decreased, depending on the region and age group.
"In total, these data indicate that a peak in activity was reached (the penultimate week of 2025) in the city and (the last week of 2025) in the emergency room," says Public Health France.
But "given the continued sustained circulation of influenza viruses throughout the French population (...), the possibility of a resurgence of the epidemic in January cannot be ruled out at this stage," warns the agency, which is based on models carried out in collaboration with the Pasteur Institute.
The flu is one of several factors currently contributing to a tense situation in emergency services. Added to this are accidents caused by snow and ice, as well as a strike by general practitioners which is leading patients to seek hospital care.
Among the positive elements, flu vaccination was somewhat more successful than last autumn/winter, when low coverage rates contributed to a particularly severe epidemic.
However, vaccination coverage among the French population remains low, with 381 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (3PT) among all at-risk individuals and 441 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for those over 65. Furthermore, initial feedback on the vaccine indicates "moderate" efficacy, preventing between 301 and 42.41 cases per 100,000 inhabitants of the flu.
Another major viral epidemic of autumn/winter, bronchiolitis, which primarily affects babies, is clearly showing signs of having passed its peak. The Île-de-France region, the first in metropolitan France, has thus entered a post-epidemic phase, after bronchiolitis had been affecting the entire country for several months.
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