The bronchiolitis epidemic is making a comeback in France and is spreading to 3 new regions. The Public Health France (SpF) agency noted in its weekly report that last week (from October 9 to 15), the incidence of bronchiolitis in children under 2 years of age continued to increase, both in community medicine and in hospitals.
In mainland France, the Brittany and Pays-de-la-Loire regions are now in the epidemic phase, joining Ile-de-France which had been affected a week earlier. Five other regions are in the pre-epidemic phase. In the overseas departments and regions, Guyana has also entered the epidemic phase.
The agency emphasizes the importance of vigilance and the application of barrier measures, particularly in the presence of children under 2 years old. Bronchiolitis, mainly caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), causes breathing difficulties in babies. Although it is usually mild, it can sometimes require emergency room visits and hospitalizations. The previous season, the epidemic had reached a scale unprecedented in more than ten years, putting considerable pressure on hospitals already facing the Covid-19 pandemic and the flu.
Last week, 1,950 children under the age of two were admitted to the emergency room for cases of bronchiolitis, and 597 were hospitalized (+15% in one week). However, SpF noted that the increases seen at the hospital were lower than in the previous two seasons.
One of the major challenges of this season is to determine whether the massive vaccination campaign for babies using the Beyfortus preventive treatment from the Sanofi laboratory will have been effective in reducing the number of hospitalizations. Due to its high demand, this treatment is currently reserved for maternity hospitals pending the availability of new stocks.
 Anthony Bourdain
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19/10/2023 | 
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