The flu epidemic continues to advance throughout the metropolitan territory in recent days. “It started earlier and faster and is currently accelerating,” Philippe Amouyel, professor of public health at Lille University Hospital, confirms to BFMTV.com. “But that doesn’t mean she’s more serious than usual.”
“The flu is a cyclical virus, which reappears every winter,” recalls the specialist. “And since it is a season in which we are cloistered at home, inside the house, it is more likely that we will get infected because it circulates in closed places. As it is usually colder, we tend to ventilate less, and it is in warm environments and humid environments that viruses like to multiply.”
The population most vulnerable to the virus
For Professor Philippe Amouyel, the strong and early start of the flu epidemic is explained by the fact that the population is more vulnerable this year. “Our immune system is a little less armed against the flu because this epidemic has not circulated massively in France for two years. Therefore, the natural immunity of the population has been much less exposed to the virus.”
It is, according to him, the barrier gestures and, in particular, the use of the mandatory mask imposed in the fight against Covid, which made it possible to reduce exposure to the flu. “It is undeniable that the use of a mask, which has become part of our habits for two years, is effective against the spread of all respiratory infections. We can see it: now that people no longer use them en masse, viruses spread more. in the entire population.
But above all, at that time, the concern for the covid had pushed many frail people to get vaccinated against the seasonal flu. Which was not the case this year. In addition to a flagrant lack of medicines related to the shortage, there is also a delay in the vaccination schedule. In early December, the OECD had even called for “redoubling efforts” in France, after “a much slower start” than in previous years.
A triple epidemic
However, to the epidemiologist, there is no reason for flu symptoms to be more severe this year. To explain this impression, the professor points to the lack of knowledge about the flu. “We tend to forget it, but flu symptoms are always, by definition, pretty severe. It all comes down to a misnomer. When we have a cold, it’s customary to say we say ‘we have the flu.’ But often we don’t.”
And to add: “when we really have the flu, we usually remember it: we are 4-5 days bedridden with a fever and we ache all over. It is quite violent, and can create serious complications in the most frail people, especially the elderly.”
If the epidemic is not more serious than usual, its precocity complicates the situation for the health services, already weighed down by the cases of Covid and bronchiolitis. Thus, in a week, hospitalizations for flu and flu-like illnesses have more than doubled, according to figures published Wednesday by Public Health France, which counts some 1,500 cases in Île-de-France. And the number of visits to the emergency room for this reason increased by 84% compared to the previous week.
The situation is complicated by the fact that a new wave of Covid has appeared on national territory, although it is slowing down. The peak of the bronchiolitis epidemic also appears to have passed as new cases are slowing, according to figures in Covars’ latest advisory. But almost 2,000 babies remained hospitalized in France for this reason last week.
The doctor Rémi Salomon, head of the department of nephrology-pediatrics at the Necker hospital in Paris, wanted to alert the French on BFMTV on Wednesday about the saturation of hospitals and emergencies. He recalled the importance of respecting the barrier gestures, especially in this festive period, but also that of getting vaccinated against the flu, while the vaccination campaign is slipping this year among the elderly.
Source: BFM TV
