You may have started the year lying in bed with a bad case of the flu. The canton of Jura had nearly 31 cases of seasonal flu reported per 100,000 inhabitants this Wednesday, according to the Federal Office of Public Health, far from the record of nearly 49 cases in Neuchâtel. At the Swiss level, just over 20 reported cases have been recorded. “Influenza contamination is currently progressing in our region, but the situation is not out of the ordinary. We have not yet reached the epidemic threshold,” indicates the Jura cantonal doctor. Nothing alarming therefore, but Matthieu Vermeille would like to remind you of the essential actions to limit the spread: “wash your hands regularly, ventilate common living spaces several times a day, sneeze into your elbow, clean frequent contact surfaces, wear a mask if you have symptoms and avoid close contact when you are sick.”
Vaccination, “effective after around ten days, does not completely prevent infection but reduces the severity of symptoms, the risk of complications, the duration of the illness and convalescence and contagiousness,” adds Matthieu Vermeille. It is especially recommended for “people over 65 years of age, with chronic illnesses, with a weakened immune system, pregnant women and those close to them, particularly if vulnerable people cannot benefit from the vaccine such as young children”.
The Jura Hospital “not overwhelmed”
Don’t panic at the Jura Hospital (H-JU) either. The institution’s communications manager, Olivier Guerdat, explains that if “activity is sustained and the beds are well occupied, there remains a little margin and we are not in a tight flow.” At the start of the week, only two cases of hospitalization for flu were recorded. The opening last summer of the Mediqo medical hotline made it possible to relieve emergencies at the H-JU, rejoices Olivier Guerdat who adds that the population has also adopted “the right reflexes”. /mmi
