Key Points

• Vector-borne diseases: 88 reports of suspected cases of chikungunya or dengue have been received since May 1, 2015. Three imported cases of dengue and one imported case of chikungunya have been confirmed (all acquired during travel to an endemic area). For this season, no locally acquired cases have been diagnosed to date in the region.

• Hospital and medical activity in the region: data from the SOS Médecins associations show a sharp increase in visits and consultations last week, linked to the long weekend of July 14, with numbers higher than in previous years during the same period. Similarly, activity in emergency departments is high compared to previous years, a trend that has persisted since early 2015. The proportion of emergency department visits involving children under 15 or adults aged 75 and older is stable, and the hospitalization rate has declined slightly during weeks 2015-27 and 28.

• Heat Wave and Health Alert System (SACS): no orange alert issued by Météo France for heat wave risk. However, given the persistent heat, the indicators monitored under the SACS were analyzed. The trends described here are expected given the intense heat that has prevailed in Languedoc-Roussillon since early July. In week 2015-29, nearly 90 emergency room visits for hyperthermia, dehydration, or hyponatremia were recorded, representing a 26% increase compared to the previous week. Emergency room visits for general malaise are trending downward. About twenty cases of heatstroke or dehydration were diagnosed by doctors from the SOS Médecins Nîmes and Perpignan associations during week 2015-29, a level similar to that observed in 2013 during periods of extreme heat.