Influenza is slowed down by anticoagulant barrier signals

No serious cases of influenza have been reported since late September / early October, Santa Public France said in its latest weekly surveillance bulletin.

Fighting the virus means fighting all of them: While the Kovid-19 pandemic threatens to re-emerge in France, the flu has not yet begun to signify a new disease, the health agency said on Wednesday. Public Health France.

“The impact of influenza still seems to be significantly reduced compared to previous years due to the adoption of barrier signals,” the health agency said on Twitter, publishing its weekly influenza surveillance bulletin. According to the bulletin, since the start of surveillance in late September / early October, there has been “no active transmission of influenza viruses” on mainland France.

No admission to intensive care for acute influenza

In addition, during the same period, “no serious case of influenza was reported by the services involved in this surveillance”, for which reason admission to the intensive care unit was not registered.

By comparison, last year, the flu sent 61 patients to intensive care between the beginning of November and the end of December, nine in the last week of December, and this is currently happening.

A real success for the vaccine campaign

In recent months, health officials have often recalled that generalized preventative measures to combat the new coronavirus (hand washing, physical distance, mask, etc.) may also be effective against other winter viruses that cause the flu or gastro.

“In the current context, physical distance and barrier signals are needed to limit the spread of Kovid-19 infection and other viruses,” Public Health France stressed in its Influenza Bulletin.

In mid-December, the health agency indicated that the flu vaccine had increased in people at risk this year. Authorities are encouraging people to be vaccinated against the flu, especially this year, to avoid overcrowding emergency services already facing the Kovid-19 pandemic.