After the holidays… gastronomy is at its peak. The latest figures from the health authorities, measured by the epidemiologists of the Sentinelles network, show that the epidemic stage has been reached in almost the entire territory. The regions most strongly affected are Grand Est, Occitanie and Nouvelle Aquitaine.
It is the most common winter disease. It is estimated that it affects 21 million people in France each year. It is mostly of viral origin, with mostly "norovirus" and "rotavirus". The former are most often responsible for gastroes in the elderly, while the latter mainly attack children under the age of five.
A relationship with holiday meals? Is there one? It is likely. Gastronomy is not linked to an excessively rich diet, but on the other hand certain raw products can, in certain cases, transmit noroviruses, such as oysters or various seafoods.
Prevention based on hygiene. Since gastroes are transmitted mainly by hand, the best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands regularly, using soap, not just water. It is particularly necessary to do this when preparing meals, and when leaving the toilet.
What are the symptoms ? The gastro begins with an incubation period of 24 to 72 hours after we have been contacted with the virus. Then it manifests as diarrhea, sometimes with vomiting, often accompanied by nausea, abdominal pain and fever. The aim of the treatments is to avoid dehydration and the weakening of the body. In addition to rest, it is advisable to eat starchy foods (pasta, rice), and to rehydrate, drinking lots of water. It is also necessary to reconstitute itself in mineral salts, to compensate for the dehydration.
22 patients in a Paris nursing home
The virus being very contagious, it can develop quickly in establishments taking charge of a community of people. At the start of the year, almost 500 people had gastroenteritis on a cruise. In Paris, an Ehpad (accommodation establishment for dependent elderly people) is currently dealing with a “grouped case” of gastroenteritis which concerns 22 patients, out of a total of 100 people treated in total.
This is the “COS Jacques-Barrot” nursing home in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. The Regional Health Agency sent SOS Doctors to the site on Thursday to look for a possible food source for the epidemic. The results are not yet known.
“Most of the patients are fine. There are no serious cases. I do not think that it is of food origin, otherwise the staff would also have been sick ”, estimates for its part the director of the establishment, Bernard Van der Meersch, who wants to be reassuring. But vigilance is inevitably required in this type of establishment which welcomes fragile people.