Key Highlights

• In Week 10, all national indicators are declining (number of outpatient visits for flu-like symptoms, emergency department visits and hospitalizations, intensive care admissions, identified influenza viruses, etc.). Older adults continue to account for the majority of flu-related hospitalizations. (See the influenza epidemiological bulletin of March 11, 2015)

• The downward trend is also confirmed in the Lorraine region for all indicators. The impact of the flu epidemic on the activity of emergency departments in Lorraine and the SOS Médecins Meurthe-et-Moselle association is similar to that observed during the 2012-2013 winter season.

• In week 10, only 75 cases of influenza and influenza-like illnesses were recorded in the region’s emergency departments, with 12 patients hospitalized. These conditions thus account for less than 1% of visits.

• In outpatient care, the SOS Médecins 54 association recorded 49 diagnoses of influenza and influenza-like illnesses in week 10. Activity related to these conditions stands at 5.3%, continuing to decline since week 06.

• For the second consecutive week, the number of influenza viruses isolated by the virology department at Nancy University Hospital has been decreasing. Influenza A remains the most commonly identified virus in samples (16 samples positive for influenza A and 5 for influenza B).

• In Lorraine, 44 severe cases of influenza have been reported to the CIRE since surveillance began in November 2014. Since week 10, no new cases have been reported by intensive care units. As of March 12, 2015, the clinical course has been favorable for 29 cases (66%); 7 cases (16%) remain hospitalized in intensive care; and 8 cases (18%) have died.