Over the past week in the region:

A very sharp increase in emergency department visits by older adults (the highest peak observed since 2007) and an increase in the number of deaths among the very elderly compared to the expected number (+34%). An increase in visits for pneumonia and heart failure among older adults has been observed in some facilities.

The flu epidemic is beginning to slowly subside, though there has been an increase in the circulation of the influenza B virus over the past two weeks. The B virus is usually predominant among children and the elderly. This has resulted in a later-onset epidemic among the elderly, with an increase in outbreaks of acute respiratory infections in nursing homes over the past month. The average hospitalization rate during these episodes is 7%, and the case-fatality rate is 3%. Since Christmas, 195,000 people have consulted a general practitioner for clinical influenza (with a fever >39°C). Since late November 2012, 55 cases of severe influenza (including 7 deaths) have been hospitalized in intensive care units in the region. This number of cases is three times higher than during the previous epidemic in 2011–12. The age distribution of these severe cases shows a peak in incidence among people aged 50 to 59. Increase in the number of invasive meningococcal infections in February

Increase in the number of gastroenteritis cases among children under 5 years of age, likely linked to the circulation of rotavirus.