Public health authority Santé publique France is specifically advising at-risk people to get a flu shot as cases rise. Photo: Inside Creative House/Shutterstock
The vaccination campaign against winter flu in France has been extended until February 29 due to the increase in cases in recent weeks.
France is currently experiencing a flu epidemic nationwide, in every department, including in Corsica. The virus season is considered to last from around November to April, meaning that the virus may not yet have reached its peak in France in 2023-24.
Read more: See: big rise in flu cases and hospitalisations in France
Consequently, Social Security specifies: “In a context of strong spread of the various respiratory viruses, the health government should extend the flu vaccination campaign until February 29 (instead of January 31). “
In its latest bulletin on acute respiratory infections (as of January 31), Santé publique France (SPF) indicates that viral signs of influenza have increased by 15. 7% weekly among general practitioners, with a positivity rate of 59. 3% (still as reported through general practitioners).
The number of people coming to the emergency room with the flu is “increasing considerably”, he says, with 11,146 people admitted in the last week of January, compared to 7,657 last week (a 46% increase). The number of people hospitalized rose to 1,957, up from 1,386 last week (a 41% increase).
Since October 2023, 288 patients with flu have been admitted to intensive care units (of those units participating in regular surveillance, SPF said).
The SPF continues to call for vaccination, especially for other at-risk people, who are reimbursed 100 percent of the vaccination by the state, even as the end of the winter season approaches.
Only 38% of those at risk have been vaccinated, the SPF said. “Most signs are emerging in a pronounced way in GP offices and hospitals, across all ages combined,” he said in his latest report.
On average, each season’s flu epidemic represents “one million consultations at GP surgeries, more than 20,000 hospitalisations, and around 9,000 deaths, all within a dozen weeks”, the health authority said.
It is estimated that only those over 65 years of age are saved 2,000 lives a year thanks to vaccination, according to the FPS.
“In this context, getting a flu shot is still essential,” he advises. This includes pregnant women, fitness workers, immunocompromised people, and those over the age of 65.
The FPS has also urged other people to continue barrier gestures, such as wearing masks, washing hands and keeping distance from others, in closed public spaces or in places where other vulnerable people are located.
Flu vaccines used annually (replaced each year) are believed to be between 40% and 60% effective, depending on the flu strain in circulation.
This year, data suggests that the strain is primarily H1N1 (accounting for about 70% of infections), although H3N2 has also been detected.
The composition of the “influenza vaccines for the Northern Hemisphere” is being carried out by experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) between February and March, based on the knowledge that will be available about the viruses of the winter that has just ended and those that are beginning to circulate. in the southern hemisphere,” Professor Bruno Lina, director of the National Reference Centre for Respiratory Infection Viruses in Lyon, told The Point.
Also in its latest report, SPF said that France was no longer at epidemic levels for bronchiolitis, and added that most indicators of Covid-19 are “dropping, or at a weak level”.
You can get vaccinated at:
You should receive free vaccinations if you are in a threat category, including:
If you are not in an at-risk category, you can still get a vaccination, but you will have to purchase and pay for it first. It is sold at pharmacies, and costs between €6 and €12 depending on the brand.
You can ask a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, or midwife to give you the vaccine, for a fee.
The value of a vaccine for people who are not at risk is:
You can also get a Covid-19 booster at the same time, if you can get a shot in your arm. Those who are eligible for the flu vaccine are also eligible for the loose Covid booster.
See: Acute in flu cases and hospitalizations in FranceDoctors are concerned about low use of Covid and flu vaccines in France