Over the past week in the region:

• At the regional level, after 10 weeks of the flu epidemic, the decline has been clearly evident for the past 4 weeks. SOS Médecins reports that 6% of visits are for flu-like symptoms, slightly above the epidemic threshold of 4%. The prevalence of the A(H3N2) virus is decreasing, with an increasing proportion of type B viruses (31% of influenza virus isolates from virology laboratories). The number of severe cases hospitalized in intensive care (126 cases) has exceeded the number observed during each of the last five epidemic seasons (18 to 81 cases); three-quarters of severe cases are over 50 years old. Excess mortality among people over 85 years of age has been 25% since early January, with a decline observed over the past two weeks.

• 195 clusters of acute respiratory infections (ARI) and 80 clusters of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) have been reported by nursing homes in the region since September 1, 2014. The peak in ARI outbreaks occurred during the first week of February (43 outbreaks in one week). The geographic distribution of outbreaks ranges from 25% of nursing homes in Mayenne to 35% in Vendée. The most recent outbreaks (occurring within the last 3 weeks) continue to be observed primarily in the southern part of the region.

• Emergency room visits by people aged 75 or older remain above the usual threshold in the eastern part of the region; as of March 10, five hospitals in the region were still maintaining their “hospital under strain” plan to cope with hospital bed saturation.

• This marks the second consecutive week of increased gastroenteritis cases seen during house calls by SOS Médecins in Nantes and Saint-Nazaire. This rise in March signals the arrival of rotavirus.