Key Points

COVID-19

Respiratory viruses continue to circulate in the region, with a significant surge in the Omicron variant. In Week 52 in Occitanie, the proportion of A0C0 samples (absence of the L452R and E484K mutations, consistent with Omicron) increased significantly (63%, vs. 27.6% in Week 51), reflecting the rapid spread of this variant within the Occitanie population.

Bronchiolitis

In hospital settings, according to data reported by emergency departments to the Oscour® network, visits and hospitalizations for a diagnosis of bronchiolitis among children under 2 years of age were decreasing compared to previous weeks. In Week 52 of 2021, 328 visits for this diagnosis in this age group were recorded, representing 14.9% of visits in this age group (387 visits in Week 51 of 2021). Of these visits, 124 were followed by hospitalization, representing a hospitalization rate of 37.8% for this diagnosis and 38.4% of all hospitalizations in this age group. Since the start of the epidemic, 4,128 emergency department visits have been recorded for this reason, along with 1,504 hospitalizations.

In private practice, according to data from the SOS Médecins associations in the region (Montpellier, Nîmes, Perpignan, and Toulouse), procedures for a diagnosis of bronchiolitis in children under 2 years of age were decreasing compared to previous weeks. In week 52 of 2021, 21 cases of bronchiolitis diagnosed in children under 2 years of age were recorded, representing 7.0% of the overall activity of the SOS Médecins associations in this age group (23 cases in week 51 of 2021). Since the start of the epidemic, doctors from the region’s SOS Médecins associations have treated 293 children under 2 years of age with bronchiolitis.

Influenza

In hospital settings, according to data reported by emergency departments to the Oscour® network, visits across all age groups for a diagnosis of influenza/influenza-like illness were down compared to the previous week (Figure 3). In week 52 of 2021, 282 visits for this diagnosis were recorded, representing 1.0% of all visits (327 visits in week 51 of 2021). These visits primarily involved children under 15 years of age (173 visits, or 61% of all flu-related visits) but were down compared to week 51 (77%). This percentage of visits for influenza diagnosis, although lower than in Week 51, remained high in the Hérault department (2.3% of visits in that department). The hospitalization rate following an emergency department visit for a diagnosis of influenza or influenza-like illness was 12.4% (0.6% of all hospitalizations), an increase compared to Week 51 (9.8%); however, among those under 15 years of age, this rate remained stable in Week 52 compared to Week 51 (8.1% vs. 8.7%). In 5 of the region’s 13 departments (09, 12, 46, 48, and 82), flu activity in emergency departments remains low.

In private practice, according to data from the region’s SOS Médecins associations, procedures for all age groups involving a diagnosis of influenza or influenza-like illness were down compared to the previous week (Figure 4). In week 52 of 2021, 158 consultations for this diagnosis were recorded, representing 4.6% of the overall activity of the SOS Médecins associations (246 consultations in week 51 of 2021). This percentage was higher in Nîmes (7.78%), Montpellier (7.6%), and Perpignan (5.3%), while it was lower in Toulouse (1.1%).

According to data from the Sentinelles network, the incidence rate of influenza-like illness cases seen in general practice was 198 per 100,000 [137–259], an increase compared to the previous week (187 per 100,000).