The flu epidemic is currently shaking France and saturating many hospitals. To prevent symptoms from getting worse, the best solution is to quickly detect the disease. For this, flu self-tests are available over the counter in pharmacies. But how do they work? Where can we find them? West France answers you.
As with the PCR test, these self-tests work via the nasal route. “Since the covid crisis, pharmacists have been authorized to do these tests (called Rapid Diagnostic Orientation Test (TROD), Editor’s note)”specifies Lucie Bourdy-Dubois, member of the national office of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France (FSPF).
They can have several actions, also screening for Covid-19 and bronchiolitis. “For flu / Covid-19 / RSV tests, it costs €9.90”specifies Lucie Bourdy-Dubois.
Read also: “Some patients had sometimes forgotten what the flu is,” believes this doctor from Nantes
“There is little margin for error”
Despite the appeal of these tests, the High Authority of Health (HAS) remains skeptical regarding their effectiveness. In a 2023 report, she claimed that these TROD tests “do not currently present, at the individual level, any demonstrated medical interest in the diagnosis of acute respiratory infections in the city. » An observation that Lucie Bourdy-Dubois does not share. “There is little room for error. Self-tests are also simpler to do than pharmacy tests because they do not need to go as far as pharmacists in taking nasal samples. »
On the other hand, the pharmacist recommends a consultation with the doctor if you have symptoms other than those of the flu. “A medical consultation is useful to do an x-ray of the lungs, or to see if there are any other associated pathologies”she concludes.
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