The French public health bulletin concerning influenza surveillance could not be clearer: “No active circulation of influenza viruses identified by dedicated surveillance networks. The flu virus is missing subscribers. Well almost. It would seem, all the same, that he was blamed for nearly 3,500 deaths in 2019-2020. Figures much lower than those of the last ten years, which count on average nearly 10,000 deaths per year.
In the emergency department of the Metz-Thionville CHR, the teams are crossing their fingers. “In times of flu, the numbers of patient passages are up sharply, due to decompressions linked to the pathology,” explains François Braun. The head of the emergency department recognizes that this year, the flu virus has not played the win. “In general, we note the first arrivals in December and the phenomenon largely continues until March. Seasonality is what causes the virus to spread. No flu, no gastro, no bronchiolitis. Indeed, barrier gestures have something to do with it. Usually, at the onset of winter, health professionals recommend very thorough and repetitive hand washing. Not always taken seriously enough. However, the mode of transmission of influenza is very similar to that of Covid (aerosol droplets, contaminated surfaces). It took a global health crisis to learn to wash your hands! We must also add the confinements, teleworking, the drop in air traffic, which have made it possible to prevent the spread of the flu.
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Competition
Of course, drastic health measures serve as a barrier, but it seems that this is not the only reason for the absence of cases of influenza in medical offices. “There is a phenomenon of competition. The influenza virus has been suppressed, assures the infectious disease specialist of the CHR Metz-Thionville Céline Robert. The Sars Cov-2 won, leaving no room for the others. “The infectious disease specialist says he has not seen a case of influenza this year,” but we can not say that it will not happen “. Maybe in February… No one will take the bets.
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Vaccination
Either way, the fear of viruses crossing and clashing spawned a vaccine rush in October. The advice of experts recommending more than in other years an influenza vaccination has been more than effective. “The campaign began on October 13,” recalls Eric Schitz, president of pharmacists in Moselle. We were quickly overwhelmed. In two weeks, all our stocks were absorbed. »Customers are put on waiting lists. By mid-December, supplies were assured. “But at that point, people didn’t want to be vaccinated anymore, without really giving an explanation. The announcement of the Covid vaccination probably deterred some who did not want to duplicate. Then there are always the speeches of vaccine-skeptics. Anyway, on the first day of the flu shot, 500,000 doses were injected. “A record year”, recognizes Eric Schiltz.
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