Although more discreet than the previous year, France continues to have to face several epidemic situations at the same time a few days before Christmas. The seasonal flu epidemic spread in mid-December in France, spreading throughout the east of the metropolis, the French Public Health agency announced this week, confirming however that bronchiolitis had passed a peak. Covid-19 activity appears to be stabilizing.
Certain regions, such as the Grand Est, are particularly affected by the usual triple epidemic. The Regional Health Agency launched its “white plan” on Thursday, December 14 – which allows establishment directors to deprogram operations considered non-urgent or reorganize staff schedules – in Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin due to of a tense situation in the hospitals of these departments.
Concerning the flu, last week (see the graph) was marked by the “transition into the epidemic phase of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Grand Est and Occitanie regions”, summarizes the agency in a weekly report. Public health France. The epidemic had arrived in mainland France the previous week via Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA). Five regions are now in an epidemic situation in mainland France: the entire eastern part of the metropolis is affected, and the regions further west should soon be hit, many already in the so-called pre-epidemic phase. Overseas, Guyana is in turn affected by the flu epidemic, as was already the case with Mayotte before.
Decline of bronchiolitis and stabilization of Covid-19
The public health agency, however, has noted a decline in the bronchiolitis epidemic, which mainly affects babies, over the past two weeks. The entire country is still affected by the epidemic alert. But “the peak of bronchiolitis was reached at the beginning of December”, she detailed, stressing however that “the indicators remained at high levels in all regions”.
The last major winter epidemic to be monitored weekly, Covid-19 continues to record a significant wave but this is showing signs of stabilization. Consultations in town for Covid have thus stopped increasing. However, at the hospital, emergency visits linked to the disease have again seen their share increase slightly.
In this context, particularly as family and friendly gatherings approach for the holidays, “the systematic adoption of barrier gestures by all is essential, in particular the wearing of a mask in the event of symptoms, in busy places and in the presence of people fragile”, recalled Public Health France, also calling on fragile people to be vaccinated against Covid and flu. As for the gastroenteritis epidemic, so feared at the start of winter, it fortunately seems to spare the country for the moment.