Flu patients and death cases on A/H1N1 epidemic were both declining in recent weeks, Xinhua quoted France"s Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) as saying in its weekly report. The H1N1 influenza has caused 198 death cases since it debuted mainland France, among which 24 cases were children under 15 years old, InVS said, but adding that the weekly death number decreased for the third consecutive week. According to data of Sentinelles, an official communicable diseases network, the rate of flu sufferers needing doctor treatment declined to 3.2 permillage last week, fewer than the level of 4.0 permillage in the previous week. Over 6.1 million French people have infected with A/H1N1 virus after the epidemic attacked France, data of the Regional Groups of Flu Observation showed. Major French flu monitor organizations forecasted that the activity of the A/H1N1 flu was going down which mirrors the Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot"s early remark that France "has probably gotten through the first peak of the epidemic." However, the minister also warned that the virus circulation still need precaution and many epidemiologists remained "prudent" about the possible serious situation in coming months.
