The number of cases of bronchiolitis, a very common respiratory disease in infants and children under two years old, continues to increase in France, with twelve regions in an epidemic situation as well as a pre-epidemic situation in Corsica. Three overseas regions, namely Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyana, are also in a state of epidemic. According to the latest assessment of Public Health France“activity linked to bronchiolitis in children under two years old was increasing in town and in hospital”, during the week of November 20 to 26.
At the same time, “the indicators of acute respiratory infections were on the rise in community medicine and hospitals, with an increase in Covid-19 and influenza. In addition to viral acute respiratory infections, several signals indicate an increase in pneumonia to Mycoplasma pneumoniae”, pneumonia which strongly affects children and of which significant cases have recently been detected in China.
Infants particularly affected
Concerning bronchiolitis, Santé Publique France indicates an increase of 4.5 points in visits to the emergency room and of 9.2 points in hospitalizations of infants under two years old, compared to the previous week. In total, 11.8% of procedures recorded by community medicine in patients under two years of age in the week of November 20 to 26 concerned respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections, affecting the small bronchi, compared to 10.1%. % the previous week.
Same observation of an increase in hospital settings, where 23.1% of visits for this age group were linked to this pathology (compared to 18.6% the previous week). Bronchiolitis is thus responsible for almost one in two infant hospitalizations (43.7%), and affects young babies more severely: 91% of visits to the emergency room concerned children under one year old.
How to protect your child
“In the majority of cases, bronchiolitis heals spontaneously after 5 to 10 days but the cough can persist for two to four weeks,” indicates Public Health France. A simple cold at the start of the infection, it can progress with coughing, difficulty breathing and difficulty for the child to eat and sleep. In young infants, it can lead to hospitalizations, which is why it is necessary to implement preventive measures.
The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes bronchiolitis, is very contagious and is transmitted through saliva, coughing and sneezing. In adults, the latter is often asymptomatic or manifests as a mild cold. The risk is therefore to transmit it to the child without realizing it. It is recommended for sick people to apply barrier gestures with children, but also to wash their hands regularly, to avoid bringing infants into confined places (transport, shopping centers, etc.), to regularly ventilate the home or still clean toys on which the virus may persist.
Since mid-September, a new treatment has made it possible to avoid serious forms of bronchiolitis. It is issued free of charge to children under the age of one, who are most at risk of developing serious forms. Called Beyfortus, it is administered in the form of an injection and protects the child for at least five months from the virus responsible for bronchiolitis, i.e. the entire epidemic season – generally from the beginning of October until the end of January. The treatment is free after medical prescription and can be administered by a doctor, nurse or midwife.