Key Points - Week 36 (September 3–9, 2018)

• Nationwide, during the first week of school, there was a sharp increase in emergency room visits and calls to SOS Médecins for asthma compared to last week (up 82% and 107%, respectively), and the proportion of hospitalizations following an asthma-related visit rose from 27% to 32%. Activity levels are comparable to those observed in the previous two years.

• In the Indian Ocean region, for the third week of school, emergency room visits for asthma among children are down (-18%) compared to week 35 and account for 6.8% of total activity. These figures are comparable to those observed at the start of the 2017–2018 school year. The proportion of hospitalizations following a visit remains stable at 27%.