The circulation of influenza viruses remains "very active" but the use of care has decreased for all ages, Public Health France indicated on Wednesday, judging a rebound of the epidemic "unlikely" in France given its modeling with the Pasteur Institute.
During the week of January 19-25, the use of care for influenza/flu-like syndrome decreased in all age groups in general practice as well as in hospitals, whereas it had previously continued to increase among those under 15 years of age after the return from Christmas holidays, according to the weekly report from the health agency.
The positivity rate for influenza, for its part, increased in general practice and decreased slightly while remaining at moderate levels in analysis laboratories (30%) and in hospitals (15%), showing "the maintenance of a very active circulation of influenza viruses in the population".
As for deaths related to influenza, their proportion among deaths covered by an electronic certificate decreased for the second consecutive week (5.3% out of more than 8,000, compared to 6.5%), while remaining "at a high level", according to the health agency.
In their new forecasts on the dynamics of the epidemic in mainland France, the Pasteur Institute and Public Health France again anticipate a decrease in the use of care in the coming weeks.
"A rebound is still possible (for example in the event of late circulation of influenza B virus), but it is unlikely at this stage and would probably have a low impact," according to their assessment.
Last season was marked by one of the most severe epidemics since 2009, with some 17,600 deaths attributed to influenza, compared to an average of around 10,000. This toll was partly linked to low vaccination rates.
Faced with a still "significant" circulation of influenza viruses in the country and a still insufficient vaccination rate among the elderly, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday the extension of the flu vaccination campaign for one month, until the end of February.
The government pointed out that flu vaccination coverage reached 46.3% at the end of December among all targeted individuals (pregnant women, people with obesity, chronic illness, immunocompromised individuals), and 53.3% among those aged 65 and over, levels which are "insufficient in view of the intensity of the observed epidemic".
Among adults, those aged 65 and over are much more frequently affected by severe forms of the epidemic: they represent more than half of the people admitted to intensive care with the flu - of whom nearly three-quarters were not vaccinated.
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