Headlines - It's Not Too Late to Get a Flu Shot!

The flu surveillance system in France currently indicates low circulation of influenza viruses within the population. This situation contrasts with the identification to date of 75 severe cases of flu admitted to intensive care (InVS bulletin of 01/22/2014), even though this number remained below 15 during the pre-epidemic phases of previous seasons. The severe cases reported to date do not appear to be more severe than those in past seasons at the national level. These are adults with risk factors (80% of them), unvaccinated (80%), and predominantly infected with an A virus (most often H1N1pdm2009). In Burgundy and Franche-Comté, 6 severe cases have been reported by intensive care units: Table 3 will allow you to track the progress of this surveillance during the winter period. Preliminary data from the health insurance system show that the proportion of vaccinated individuals in France is very close to last year’s figure, based on a return rate of approximately 50% among more than 10 million vaccination vouchers sent out. The GROG network reports 30% of positive samples in 15 of the 21 regions of metropolitan France over the past two weeks. All positive strains were type A, and notably three-quarters of those that could be typed were A(H1N1)pdm2009. Three countries in Western Europe are reporting epidemic influenza activity caused by type A viruses: Spain, where the epidemic began two weeks ago with the A(H1N1)pdm09 virus as the dominant strain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.This information raises concerns about the imminent arrival of an A(H1N1)pdm09 epidemic in France, a virus more likely to cause severe forms of influenza in adults with risk factors. There is therefore still time to get vaccinated this week, particularly for those at risk of complications, and as long as the start of the epidemic has not yet been announced.