Impossible to let your guard down.
The bronchiolitis epidemic continues in all regions of mainland France, health authorities announced on Wednesday.
After a blank year due to Covid, which did not "arm" their immune protection, the epidemic began much earlier than the other years, hitting infants first. Like last week, all metropolitan areas remain affected. In children under two years of age, however, the indicators fell during the week of November 8 to 14, said the agency, which had been reporting for several weeks a strong increase. The number of emergency visits fell by 22%, but this decrease "could be transitory with the end of school holidays and the public holiday" of November 11, nuance Public Health France.
Of the 3,247 children under two years of age seen in the emergency department for bronchiolitis, 2,895 (89%) were under one year of age and 1,156 (36%) were hospitalized.
Of the 1,156 children hospitalized, 1,079 (93%) were under one year of age.
During the week of November 1 to 7, 4,100 children under the age of 2 were examined in the emergency room, often referred by city doctors.
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Common and highly contagious, bronchiolitis causes babies to cough and difficult, rapid, wheezing.
Most of the time benign, it may however require a visit to the emergency room, or even hospitalization.