Over the past week in the region:

High number of visits by older adults to emergency departments and deaths among the very elderly.

The flu epidemic continues to spread. All three flu viruses (H1N1, H3N2, and B) are circulating. Over the past week, there has been a sharp increase in the number of emergency room visits by children under 15 (pediatric emergency department at Nantes University Hospital), as observed nationwide.Since late November 2012, 30 cases of severe influenza, two-thirds of whom were aged between 40 and 64, have been hospitalized in intensive care in the region. The majority of cases are linked to a type A virus. A moderate increase in outbreaks of acute respiratory infections in nursing homes has been observed since mid-December.

A decline in the gastroenteritis outbreak has been observed by SOS Médecins and in nursing homes. Norovirus is the dominant agent in these outbreaks.