France in grip of flu epidemic

DOCTORS in France reported nearly half-a-million new cases of flu last week, as the country suffers in the grip of an epidemic.

A total 481,000 new cases have been reported in the past seven days - and experts have warned that number will continue to rise until the epidemic reaches its peak, which they believe will be sometime in the middle of February.

Already, a flu map of the country highlights most of the country in red - meaning more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents.

The increase in the number of patients displaying influenza-like symptoms means the number of cases is now estimated at an average of 905 per 100,000 people, well above the epidemic threshold of 168 cases per 100,000.

The spread of the illness is at epidemic levels across the country, with almost every region reporting at least 500 cases, but people living in Limousin have been most at risk, with 1,629 cases per 100,000; followed by residents of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, with 1,192 cases per 100,000; in the Midi-Pyrénées the rate is 1,150 cases per 100,000 residents.

The epidemic has been blamed on the ineffectiveness of the flu vaccine this year. Experts said that the most common strain of influenza recorded in France this season is slightly different from the one used to develop the vaccine.

This virus is highly contagious, and spreads easily through casual contact. The elderly, pregnant women, and those with respiratory or cardiac illness are most at risk.

Doctors advise anyone suffering with influenza should rest, take anti-fever medication and drinking plenty of water.

Photo: Réseau Sentinelles screengrab