The bronchiolitis epidemic, which mainly affects babies, has resumed its progression in recent days after a break linked to school holidays, the public health agency announced on Wednesday, all metropolitan regions now being concerned except Corsica.
Last week, “the activity linked to bronchiolitis in children under two years old was increasing in town and in hospital”summarized Public Health France in its weekly report.
From now on, all mainland regions are in the epidemic phase, with the exception of Corsica. Overseas, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyana remain affected by the epidemic.
What effects will the Beyfortus preventive treatment have?
This therefore marks a resumption after a break at the beginning of November, attributed by Public Health France to school holidays, likely to reduce contact between children in the community.
Bronchiolitis, caused primarily by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), causes breathing difficulties in babies. Generally not serious, it can nevertheless lead to visits to the emergency room and hospitalizations.
Last year, it was the cause of an unprecedented epidemic in more than ten years., driving tens of thousands of infants to the hospital. One of the big questions is the effect that a new preventive treatment will have, Beyfortus from Sanofi, which has met with strong support from parents to the point of being a victim of its success.
Initially offered to all babies born since February, its deliveries were quickly restricted. The Minister of Health, Aurélien Rousseau, announced Sunday in Le Monde the order for 50,000 new doses from Sanofi.
Pediatricians measured on conclusions deemed too early
Mr. Rousseau also judged, last week, that Beyfortus was already proving its worth in hospitalization figures, even if pediatricians are generally more measured and consider such conclusions too early.
Visits to the emergency room for bronchiolitis are certainly less frequent than last year, particularly harsh, but the inflection is hardly noticeable compared to previous seasons. On the other hand, these passages seem to lead less often to hospitalizations, particularly in intensive care units for the most serious cases.
Public Health France also provided an assessment of two other diseases: Covid, which is showing some signs of recovery, and seasonal flu, still limited to a few sporadic cases in mainland France while awaiting the inevitable annual epidemic. In the southern hemisphere, with an inverted climate, only Mayotte remains in the epidemic phase. Reunion came out of it.