Archive photo of last year's stomach flu epidemic. Photo: Sentinelles de l'InsermThe Local · 18 Oct 2016, 17:44Published: 18 Oct 2016 17:44 GMT+02:00Updated: 18 Oct 2016 17:44 GMT+02:00A sickly epidemic is sweeping France three months earlier than usual leaving tens of thousands laid up in bed with stomach bugs. The epidemic normally hits France every year, but normally around January. Gastroenteritis or stomach flu, which many French refer to as 'gastro,' is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines caused by a bacterial or viral infection that typically results in vomiting and diarrhoea. France’s health research institute IRSAN, that gathers data from patient call-outs to doctors estimates that some 225, 732 people were struck down by stomach flu in France between Friday 7th October and Thursday 13th.

Source: The Local October 18, 2016 15:45 UTC