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The type B Victoria strain would ignite the flu epidemic in France. It particularly affects children, who had so far avoided the virus.
After several weeks of calm, the flu epidemic resumed. In question, a new, extremely rare strain – the B/Victoria virus – which particularly affects children.
Flu: a strain that affects the youngest
If the strain had not circulated in France for more than seven years, it is now much talked about.
“They are sporadic waves […] since it’s been a long time since we’ve seen this flu. It is extremely tricky since it can contaminate people who already had [attrapé] the flu in October by giving all the possible flu symptoms: high fevers, body aches, etc..”, explains infectious disease specialist Benjamin Davido, at the microphone of Europe 1.
Result: the vaccination campaign has been extended by one month (to March 31) in order to protect all French people and in particular the most fragile.
The youngest, not immunized, seem to be particularly affected by the virus.
Influenza “spreads especially among children because it is a population which had not (yet) encountered this virus and which is free from it“, confides to Europe 1 Christine Campese, epidemiologist at Public Health France.
Those who have already caught type A flu can therefore be infected a second time – this time with the B strain.
To avoid any serious form, it is better to get vaccinated.