Epidemiological Situation

The seasonal flu epidemic, which began early in April, has been declining since July. The epidemic peaked in week 27 (July 4–10). Surveillance indicators (visits to sentinel physicians and flu-related visits to emergency departments) are declining, but the figures remain above epidemic thresholds. The A(H1N1)pdm09 virus has become the predominant strain among the analyzed sentinel samples, with viruses B and A(H3N2) still circulating concurrently. Four new patients have been admitted to intensive care for severe influenza since last week. In total, 51 severe cases have been admitted to intensive care, of whom 13 have died and 6 remain hospitalized. The majority had risk factors but were not vaccinated.