A short but severe flu season

The 2018–2019 flu season was characterized by significant severity despite its short duration.

As in mainland France, a single epidemic wave was observed in Occitanie this year. This epidemic wave, which lasted from week 1 to week 10, was primarily linked to the circulation of the A(H1N1)pdm09 and A(H3N2) viruses. During this wave, an epidemic peak was observed during week 6.

Similar to last year and within a national context of insufficient vaccination coverage and variable vaccine efficacy depending on the virus, the epidemic was characterized by a high number of hospitalizations following visits to emergency departments and severe cases admitted to intensive care. It affected all age groups, but compared to previous years, it had a more pronounced impact on those under 65. Furthermore, the 2018–2019 season was marked by a particularly high peak incidence in Occitanie within the Sentinelles network compared to the previous season (maximum weekly incidence of 714 per 100,000 versus 436 in the previous season).

During the national epidemic period (weeks 2 to 9), excess mortality was estimated at 1,027 deaths in Occitanie. Each year, excess mortality is observed during the winter months, with varying severity depending on the influenza viruses in circulation. Although the proportion attributable to influenza in this excess mortality cannot be estimated at the regional level, the impact of the influenza epidemic is likely, as excess mortality from all causes was observed in Occitanie during the 10 epidemic weeks. This excess mortality primarily affected those aged 65 and older, who accounted for 90% of the total observed excess mortality.