Summary

During Week 9 (February 26–March 4, 2018), overall activity at SOS Médecins clinics declined significantly among children: -6.5% (-418 visits) among children under 2 years of age and -16.4% (-2,989 visits) among children aged 2–14. Among adults, activity remained stable for those aged 75 and older and decreased slightly for those aged 15–74 (-2.7%, or -1,253 visits).

Among adults, regarding seasonal conditions, there was a continued increase in visits for bronchitis and pneumonia among those aged 15–74 (up 5.3% and 7.9%, respectively, or 173 and 37 visits) and an increase in visits for upper respiratory tract conditions exclusively among those aged 75 and older (+10.7%). The share of activity accounted for by these three indicators in total adult activity is higher than in the previous two years. Among the non-specific indicators, the following stand out for adults: an increase in visits for isolated fever (+10.4%), malaise (+16.7%, ages 15–74 only), and asthma (+21%, ages 75 and older only), all at moderate levels (<40 visits). Among children, most indicators are declining at the same rate as overall activity, except for visits for conjunctivitis and influenza, which recorded decreases of more than 25%. Also notable is the increase in visits for gastroenteritis among children under 2 years of age (+4%, or +26 visits).

Among the most common conditions, there was an increase in visits for vomiting among children under 2 years of age (+9.8%, or +12 visits) and chickenpox among 2- to 14-year-olds (+7.9%, or +32 visits), with activity levels slightly higher than those in 2016 and 2017. Among adults, there was an increase in consultations for anxiety among those aged 15–74 (+10.4%, or +80 visits) and for general health deterioration (+8.7%, or +25 visits) and heart failure (+10.2%, or +21 visits) among those aged 75 and older.