2024-04-23 17:40:52
Five babies have died from “fifth disease”, linked to parvovirus B19, since the start of 2024.
Increased vigilance. In a press release this Monday, April 22, Public Health France warned of the increase in parvovirus B19 infections due to an “epidemic affecting all age categories and in particular children” which “began in May 2023”.
“It continues its rise in 2024 with a peak which has not yet been reached in March,” writes Public Health France.
The health agency indicates that five babies have died due to this disease since the start of the year, “an unusually high number” since the average annual number of deaths stands at 1.8.
These are five babies under the age of one, including four who died “in the very first days of life” linked to an infection in their mother and one aged 8 months without comorbidity or immunosuppression. “Even if it remains low, the number of deaths remains to be monitored,” warns Public Health France.
Risk to the fetus
Parvovirus B19 can cause erythema infectiosum or epidemic megalerythema, often called “fifth disease” because it is the fifth viral infection (along with measles, rubella, chickenpox and roseola) that causes a rash in people. child.
This disease, transmitted by the respiratory route (droplets, sneezing, etc.), is often benign. In children, it causes moderate fever, headache or cold, and a rash on the body. In addition, on the face, children develop a characteristic redness of the cheeks.
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However, this virus can have more serious consequences for immunocompromised people and those with chronic anemia, but also for pregnant women. Indeed, when a woman contracts parvovirus B19 during her pregnancy, the virus can cross the placenta and directly infect the fetus.
The most feared complication is fetal anemia, which can lead to complications and even miscarriage. Additionally, parvovirus B19 can affect the cardiovascular system of the fetus, increasing the risk of heart problems following birth.
Increase in traffic
Public Health France is thus warning this Monday of the increase in circulation of the virus, with an “number of cases of severe infections” increasing according to emergency and intensive care doctors. The health agency was particularly alerted by “an unusual number of serious pediatric hospitalizations” at Necker hospital in Paris last summer.
“Certain perinatal services indicate an increase in miscarriages and fetal deaths linked to parvovirus B19 infection,” indicates Public Health France. Figures supported by “laboratory data show positive tests for parvovirus B19 in amniotic fluid samples”.
These levels are higher than those recorded in the last year before the Covid-19 pandemic, the benchmark for many infectious diseases. Around a hundred children under the age of 15 now go to the emergency room every week for suspected parvovirus B19 infection, compared to less than ten last year at the same period.
“Immunity debt”
As Public Health France notes, other countries such as Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Israel are also experiencing an increase in parvovirus B19 infections.
For the moment, “the reasons for this epidemic have not been clearly established”, indicate the health authorities. However, this resurgence might be linked to “the lifting of health measures” during the health crisis, in particular barrier gestures and confinements.
In short, an “immune debt has been able to set in”, which means that we have been in less contact with parvovirus B19 during this period and therefore now more vulnerable to it and more likely to catch it.
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