The medical adviser of the Health Insurance alert on the delay recorded with the people most at risk of serious forms.
The latest epidemiological bulletin from Public Health France on the flu is not intended to be alarmist, as no region has yet entered the epidemic phase (and only one, Brittany, in the pre-epidemic). But there are the first signs of a possible arrival of the respiratory infection in France. Between November 7 and November 13, the rate of consultations in city medicine for flu-like illness increased compared to the previous week from 51 to 71 per 100,000 inhabitants. In addition, other clues, such as the progression of the virus unusually early in the virus season in other countries of the northern hemisphere, suggest that “an influenza epidemic occurring early in mainland France cannot be excluded. This year”. What motivate the health authorities to intensify their call to be vaccinated, in particular the most vulnerable populations.
It has already been a month since the most vulnerable people (pregnant women, people over 65 and people suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, obesity) have been invited via a health insurance voucher to receive their annual vaccine. However, the national vaccination campaign met with timid success, even weaker than usual. To date, declares Dominique Martin, national medical adviser of the National Health Insurance Fund, “4 million people have been vaccinated against 5 million at the same time last year”, which represents “a delay of 20% on the vaccination campaign compared to last year”. “We are clearly below the recommendations of the WHO, which recommends that 75% of target people be vaccinated at the start of the epidemic,” he regrets.
Prevent thousands of deaths
A possible explanation would be the relaxation and weariness of the French on barrier gestures, after two and a half years of living with the Covid-19. However, “barrier gestures remain useful, including against the flu and other respiratory viruses”, insists Dominique Martin. A message which echoes the cry of alarm launched by the Minister of Health at the start of the week, inviting people at risk to be vaccinated against both diseases this winter (it is possible to do so on the same day, rightly one injection in each arm).
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Remember that today, 10,000 to 15,000 deaths are still attributable to the flu each year according to Public Health France. “But we know that better vaccination coverage would prevent several thousand premature deaths,” insists Dr. Martin. For the moment, the objective is to reverse the trend in order to catch up on the vaccination campaign of last fall. “We are now at -20% compared to last year. We want to at least go back to the positive,” said Dominique Martin. To do this, the communication campaign, in particular that of Health Insurance, will be extended beyond mid-December. “In addition to the means of communication addressed to the general public, we will also favor appointment systems on doctolib but also in places of care such as pharmacies and medical offices”, indicated the doctor. Note that it takes 15 days for the flu vaccine to be fully effective.
Since November 15, the entire population (not just people at risk of a severe form) can also request a flu vaccination. For several years, the authorities have been trying to facilitate access: people over the age of 16 can thus be vaccinated by pharmacists and nurses, without prior medical prescription. The vaccine, which costs a few euros, is not covered by health insurance unless prescribed by a health professional.
This campaign takes place in a context marked by a complex and unusual epidemiology of “winter” viruses, as evidenced by the current epidemic of bronchiolitis which is very early.