Key Points

• Flu surveillance has begun, but flu-related activity remains low according to both SOS Médecins indicators and emergency department data. This condition accounts for less than 1% of activity at SOS Médecins associations in Alsace and less than 0.5% of activity in emergency departments. According to data from the virology laboratory at the Strasbourg University Hospitals (HUS), the virus has been detected only sporadically so far (2 cases in week 41).

• Following the increase observed in week 43 in data from the region’s SOS Médecins associations, the number of bronchiolitis diagnoses in children under two years of age remained stable in week 44 and accounted for 5% of the associations’ activity for this age group. Regarding emergency department activity, bronchiolitis diagnoses remain few in number. In week 44, less than 5% of emergency department activity was related to this condition. Nationally, the increase in the number of emergency department visits and SOS Médecins calls for bronchiolitis continues at a rate similar to that of previous years. This upward trend is particularly pronounced in the Île-de-France region and in the North.

• Regarding respiratory viruses detected by the HUS virology laboratory, RSV remains low in week 43. Rhinoviruses, enteroviruses, and parainfluenza viruses have been the most commonly detected since early October, and their numbers have been increasing over the past few weeks.

• The upward trend in the number of weekly diagnoses of gastroenteritis and diarrhea was confirmed in week 44 for the SOS Médecins associations in Alsace, with these conditions accounting for 11% of their caseload. Gastroenteritis was the most frequently diagnosed condition that week. The number of weekly gastroenteritis diagnoses varies more widely across emergency departments in Alsace, and data from the coming weeks will help confirm whether or not an upward trend is occurring.

• Since the beginning of fall, the number of positive test results for enteric viruses at the HUS virology laboratory has remained below 5 per week. All types of viruses (rotavirus, norovirus, and adenovirus) have been identified.