Over the past week in the region:

The flu epidemic remains the major event, having been on the rise for more than 8 weeks. Since Christmas, 120,000 people in the region have consulted a general practitioner for clinical flu (with a fever > 39°C). The number of emergency room visits among children under 15 (pediatric emergency department at Nantes University Hospital) resumed an upward trend last week. Since late November 2012, 40 cases of severe flu have been hospitalized in intensive care units in the region. The two departments with the highest number of intensive care hospitalizations are Loire-Atlantique and Sarthe. The age distribution of these severe cases shows a peak in incidence among people aged 50 to 59, as observed during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, which were characterized by the circulation of the A(H1N1)p virus. The three influenza viruses (H1N1, H3N2, and B) are still circulating, each with a preference for a specific target population: virus B predominates among children, A(H1N1)p among adults, and A(H3N2) among the elderly. The epidemic among the elderly appeared more moderate than last year. However, an increase in outbreaks of acute respiratory infections in nursing homes has been observed since late January (13 outbreaks in week 13).