All regions of France are now in red. The French public health authority announced that Corsica is still in a pre-pandemic stage, and since the week of November 1 has been affected by the bronchiolitis epidemic. In its epidemiological bulletin Posted on Wednesday. The week before, Brittany had fallen for her part in the pandemic.
The highly contagious respiratory syncytial virus, responsible for bronchiolitis, mainly affects children under the age of two. Benign bronchiolitis often requires a visit to the emergency room. The disease causes children to cough, breathe hard and fast, and wheeze. According to figures published by the National Public Health Agency, 4,100 children under the age of two passed through the emergency room and 1,427 of them were hospitalized during the week of November 1. Among children admitted to hospital, 93% were less than 1 year old.
low immunity
Through lock-ups and barrier gestures against Covid-19 that helped prevent all viruses, children were less exposed to bronchiolitis last year and therefore collectively less immunized. Which raises fears of a stronger epidemic this year. In mid-October, Stefan Duger, head of the pediatric intensive care unit at Robert Depres Hospital in Paris, reported,“A very sharp increase in respiratory viral infections that may appear to be more severe and the concern is really evident throughout Ile-de-France.” This phenomenon may also be related to other winter viruses, such as influenza and gastroenteritis.
To prevent the spread of these viruses, health authorities insisted that barrier gestures (washing hands, masks, safety distance) should continue. At the invitation of France Info at the end of October, the president of the French Pediatric Society, Christelle Grass Le Guin, invited parents to “Restrict visits to the circle of very close and unsick adults” To stave off outbreaks of bronchiolitis.
