Yasmina Kattou, edited by Juliette Moreau Alvarez
As winter approaches, the number of cases of bronchiolitis continues to increase in France. This acute respiratory infection particularly affects children. In one week already, nearly 1,500 emergency visits have been recorded, more than double the figures for seasons prior to Covid.
Watch out for your children because bronchiolitis is circulating early this year once more. Five regions are in the pre-epidemic phase: Normandy, Hauts-de-France, New Aquitaine, Île-de-France and Occitanie. Every year this virus affects nearly 500,000 children. Since September, cases of bronchiolitis in hospital have increased by 41%.
Simple actions to limit the circulation of the disease
We are not yet in the epidemic phase but Santé Publique France warns and fears an epidemic like that of last year. Delphine Viriot, epidemiologist at Santé Publique France, issues the alert: “Throughout the month of September, syndromic indicators increased with 299 medical procedures this week. And at the hospital level, we have 1,491 visits to the emergency room this week, more twice as high as what was usually observed at the same time in seasons prior to the coronavirus pandemic Covid-19.”
According to Delphine Viriot, an epidemic might point the tip of her nose. “We can say that the bundles of elements that are currently collected are in favor of an increase in the circulation of the virus upstream of the start of a potential epidemic period which would be to come”. To limit the circulation of the disease, there are simple steps to take, such as “barrier gestures, in particular hand washing, wearing a mask and regular ventilation of rooms”, lists the epidemiologist. Finally, “ask a person with a cold or flu to postpone his visit to the family” she concludes.