As the flu epidemic continues to spread and the calls for vaccination multiply, is there still time to protect yourself against the virus before the holiday season?
[Mis à jour le 22 décembre 2022 à 12h11] The end of year celebrations are almost here! And while many people are busy with the final preparations and last-minute purchases, others are more concerned about health issues. The calls to vaccination against the flu but also against Covid-19 have been a refrain hammered out by the government, health authorities and doctors for several weeks now. But while vaccination appointments have been far from full since the start of the campaign, more French people want to protect themselves against winter viruses as family reunions approach. An observation welcomed by the authorities. Which continue to encourage everyone, and especially fragile people, to receive the vaccine as the flu epidemic progresses. the latest report from Public Health France, published on December 21, notes that the incidence rate increased by 57% in one week, while hospitalizations and emergency room visits linked to flu-like illness rose by 118% and 87%. As recently as December 20, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne again called on the French to “get vaccinated” and to respect barrier gestures and the wearing of masks, recalling that “we are facing a difficult situation. And with the holidays, this situation is even more tense”.
Still, a few days before Christmas, the time is too short for a vaccination carried out in recent days to offer protection against the virus at New Year’s Eve. It takes on average 15 days after the injection of the vaccine for the immune system and the antibodies to be ready against the flu virus, estimates professor and epidemiologist Yves Buisson, withnews.fr. If the effects of the vaccine will be too late to be protective at Christmas time, they will be effective for the New Year. On the other hand, people who have received or are receiving a booster injection in recent days can consider themselves protected for the holidays. The fact remains that the use of the vaccine, even if it occurs too late in relation to the holidays, remains recommended by health professionals because the flu epidemic is likely to last for a large part of the winter with epidemic indicators which continue to increase. .
Should I get vaccinated against the flu?
Faced with the high numbers of flu cases but also of Covid-19, Public Health France strongly recommends co-vaccination. As the end of the year holidays approach, the health authority strongly recommends “that people at risk protect themselves by resorting to vaccination against seasonal flu and COVID-19 as soon as possible”. According to High Authority of Healthit is possible to do both vaccines at the same time.
In mid-November, the USPO, Union des Syndicates de Pharmaciens d’Officine reported a very serious delay in the flu vaccination campaign, results deemed “worrying”. “In the general population, the decrease is 25% in relation to the 2021 campaign” the union was alarmed. Since November 15, 2022, vaccination against influenza has been open to all.
So who should get vaccinated? While the flu affects between 2 and 6 million people each year in the country, so-called “fragile” people can quickly find themselves in a serious condition leading to hospitalization, or even in the most complicated cases, death. To avoid such tragedies, “people aged 65 and over, people under 65 with certain chronic diseases, pregnant women, people suffering from obesity (BMI equal to or greater than 40 kg/m2) , the entourage of infants under 6 months at risk (who cannot be vaccinated) and immunocompromised people, health professionals and professionals in medico-social establishments in contact with patients at risk, home help for individuals vulnerable employers” are invited to get vaccinated. Note that for the first time, professionals exposed to swine and avian influenza viruses are also targeted as part of the 2022-2023 campaign, reports service-public.fr. For information, the vaccine is free for people at risk. For others, the price varies between 6 and 10 euros.
What are the symptoms of the flu?
On the site of theHealth Insuranceit is indicated that after contamination, the disease declares itself within approximately 48 hours, with “a high fever (around 39°C) accompanied by chills, intense fatigue, a feeling of depression with loss of appetite, diffuse muscular (aches) and joint pain, headaches, then a dry and painful cough”.
Note that a person who has the flu is contagious for five days after the appearance of the very first symptoms. At least, as far as adults are concerned. For children, contagiousness can extend over a week. Covid-19 or flu? On the other hand, it is sometimes difficult to find one’s way on this point, the symptoms being very similar. To remove any doubt as to Covid-19 contamination, the attending physician may request a PCR test.