News as of February 23, 2012

• Since the project launched on January 23, 2012, more than 3,500 people have registered on grippenet.fr. All departments are now participating in the study. In week 7 of 2012, half of the participants reported no symptoms. If you would like to participate in influenza surveillance or learn more about the project, visit: https://grippenet.fr/

• Strain on healthcare facilities amid a flu epidemic in mainland France. The current epidemic is characterized by a predominant A(H3N2) strain that particularly affects the elderly, with an increased risk of mortality, and is resulting in a resurgence of acute respiratory infections in community settings.

• Air quality: for more information on current alerts, visit the website of the Association for Air Quality Monitoring in Aquitaine (Airaq): www.airaq.asso.fr

Trends in indicators for Week 06 (February 6–12, 2012)

• Bronchiolitis: activity on the decline. Declining for SOS Médecins and in emergency departments. The number of children treated by AquiRespi is decreasing compared to the previous week.

• Gastroenteritis: activity on the rise

• Flu: Epidemic on the rise

• Activity in private practice and hospital emergency departments: Increasing for SOS Médecins and in emergency departments.