Key points

Bronchiolitis Surveillance

In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy regions, as in mainland France, outpatient and hospital indicators have returned to low levels, signaling the end of the winter epidemic

Surveillance of influenza-like illnesses

In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy regions, as well as in mainland France, the peak has passed but the epidemic remains strong, affecting the elderly more severely.

Surveillance of severe influenza cases

In mainland France, 970 severe cases of influenza have been reported this season, including 58 in Nord-Pas-de-Calais and 16 in Picardy, and 98 have died (10 in Nord-Pas-de-Calais and 3 in Picardy). The majority of cases had risk factors for severe influenza and were infected with an influenza A virus.

Surveillance of acute gastroenteritis

• In mainland France, the incidence of acute diarrhea cases seen in general practice is below the epidemic threshold.

• In Nord-Pas-de-Calais, calls to SOS Médecins, although below the regional epidemic threshold, have been at a high level since early January, and visits to emergency departments for gastroenteritis continue to rise.

• In Picardy, calls to SOS Médecins for gastroenteritis are in line with expectations, while visits to emergency departments remain at a low level.

Monitoring of carbon monoxide poisoning

• In mainland France, 814 cases involving 2,933 people have been reported since September 1, 2014.

• In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, the number of cases reported to the surveillance system remains stable at 3 poisoning incidents per week.

• In the Picardy region, 3 cases have been reported to the surveillance system over the past two weeks.

Mortality Surveillance

• In mainland France, across all age groups, the increase in mortality recorded by the civil registry offices participating in the surveillance (70% of national mortality) continued during week 2015-07. Since early 2015, an initial estimate of winter mortality across all age groups shows that it is 17% higher than the expected mortality calculated based on the previous 8 years. However, these initial assessments should be interpreted with caution, as the episode is not yet over and the data are not yet consolidated due to the usual delays in reporting. The increase in mortality is observed among people aged 65 and older and affects all regions.

• In Europe, an increase in all-cause mortality among people aged 65 and older has also been observed since the end of 2014 in 10 of the 16 countries or regions participating in the European mortality surveillance system.

• In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy regions, all-cause mortality—primarily among people aged 85 and older—observed in recent weeks remains higher than expected but overall close to the levels observed during the 2011–2012 and 2012–2013 winter seasons.