Key Points

• In Week 01 (January 2–8, 2023), the week schools reopened, emergency room visits and subsequent hospitalizations declined among children (-13%, or 10,155 fewer visits and 1,125 fewer hospitalizations) and adults (-5%, or 14,347 fewer visits and 2,965 fewer hospitalizations).

• Across all age groups, there was a sharp decline in visits for all respiratory indicators, particularly—for the second consecutive week—for influenza/flu-like illness (-53%, or 7,444 fewer visits), including this week among those aged 75 and older. However, levels remain very high among adults for all indicators and still high among children under 2 years of age; bronchiolitis continues to decline, reaching a level observed in previous years and remaining sustained.

• In this week marking the start of the school year, a sharp increase in visits is observed among children for trauma (+52%, or +5,212 visits), abdominal pain (+40%, or 751 visits), and neurology (+22%, or 155 visits), a trend also observed, though to a lesser extent, among adults aged 15–74, accompanied by an increase in visits for chest pain (+9%, or 892 visits) in this group.

• Regarding mental health indicators, although levels remain low compared to previous years, suicidal acts are rising sharply among children (+80%, or +57 visits) and adults (+19%, or +220 visits), with an increasing hospitalization rate following a visit among children and those aged 15–44 (65% versus 42% and 59%, respectively, in S52).

• Finally, amid rising rates of non-invasive and invasive Group A Streptococcus infections, there has been a decline in scarlatina cases among adults and stabilization among children.