Marseille, and more generally the entire Bouches-du-Rhône department, are facing an intense wave of acute respiratory infections (ARI), including influenza as well as other respiratory viruses. According to the Sentinelles network, the PACA region has one of the highest rates in France.
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Marseille is classified on red alert, and the entire Bouches-du-Rhône department oscillates between orange and red alert for acute respiratory infections (ARI), mainly including influenza, according to data from the Sentinels network of the last week of December. A situation which continues to worsen with a particular context: that of the end-of-year holidays which encourage social interactions, and therefore the spread of the virus.
In the map below, published on the Sentinelles network, we observe that the department is marked by high rates of cases linked to the virus, while neighboring departments, such as Var in the green zone, remain spared for the moment.
The departments of Bouches-du-Rhône and Alpes-Maritimes are on red alert for acute respiratory infection.
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© Sentinels Network
From a regional point of view, between December 23 and 29, 2024, the incidence rate of ARI cases in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region was estimated at 509 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, with activity described as “strong”.
In this context, the PACA region displays one of the highest rates in France, behind Brittany, but at the same level as New Aquitaine. But not only that, the epidemic seems to affect the whole of France, says Public Health France on X.
For Doctor Amine Ayari, a general practitioner based in Marseille, the situation is particularly worrying: “there has been a steady increase in the number of patients since last week. This year, it is particularly virulent. Last year, I do not remember such intensity, either in terms of number of cases or severity of symptoms“.
In his office, the observation is clear: the flu dominates with symptoms “noisy“and very uncomfortable.”A quarter of my patients have the flu or flu-like otolaryngological (ENT) infections“, he explains.
The most common symptoms include chills, body aches, high fever and severe fatigue. “I had a 15 year old patient who was unable to get out of bed, can you imagine? Recently, two elderly patients had to be hospitalized for severe breathing difficulties“, reports Amine Ayari. Since December, the latter has recorded around ten hospitalizations linked to the flu, mainly among elderly people.
Furthermore, the specialist also observes a high contagiousness: “when a member of a family comes for consultation, we know that in the following days, the rest of the family will be there.”
Doctor Ayari insists on the importance of the vaccine which “Significantly reduces symptoms and contagion. Between a vaccinated and unvaccinated patient, the difference is obvious“.
He recommends vaccination for vulnerable people, particularly the elderly and pregnant women, while recalling that it is important to consult in the event of intense fatigue or persistent fever.
But what to do when you have the flu? The doctor responds that it is useless to take antibiotics. No magic solution: “you must only take paracetamol, and avoid anti-inflammatories, but above all you must rest and be patient“. In these prescriptions, “grandmother's remedies” also find their place: “Honey is an excellent antiseptic and analgesic, especially taken alone, with a spoon.“
In its center, combined tests for Covid-19, influenza and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) have been implemented to better diagnose patients. “The ideal is to do the test… And precisely in the center in which I work, we have invested in these tests because the symptoms are so important that we prefer to do a test before prescribing, to rush to prescribe antibiotics“.
A flu test, not covered by Social Security.
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© Amine Ayari
But he nevertheless regrets that the flu test is not reimbursed: “it is not understandable that the test for angina is covered by Social Security, but not that for the flu“.
Health authorities are calling for vigilance to limit the spread of the virus. In this vein, Santé Publique France recalls in a publication X the simple actions to limit the spread of the virus:
Ultimately, health authorities point out that the situation could still continue in the weeks to come.
