The week will be dense for pediatricians and parents.
The peak of the bronchiolitis epidemic is expected "towards the end of the week", indicated Monday the union of liberal pediatricians, which calls for a strengthening of barrier gestures to counter this generally benign disease but which can prove to be serious in newborns.
"It's going up, we expect the peak towards the end of the week," said Dr. Brigitte Virey, president of the National Union of French Pediatricians (SNPF), who evokes "a substantial workload in the offices".
"We have increased our consultation ranges to be able to cope and take everyone", including sometimes on Sundays, added the head of the union, established with some 2,600 city pediatricians.
A situation all the more worrying as it “will last” and could combine with other epidemics, such as influenza and gastroenteritis, underlines Doctor Virey.
Barrier measures to resume
Ventilation of premises, washing of hands, wearing a mask when approaching a newborn, limiting frequentation of public places with a toddler... "We must resume barrier measures, it is essential to protect babies”, hammered the pediatrician.
Professor Rémi Salomon, from the Necker hospital in Paris, launched the same appeal on Sunday evening on Twitter, given the “extremely tense situation in the emergency rooms and pediatric departments”: “Anything we can do to avoid the bronchiolitis must be done, it is really super important!
»
I have been recommending for a few days to wear the mask again in closed and busy places at the moment because a lot of viruses are circulating.
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— Remi Salomon (@RemiSalomon) November 27, 2022
In this context, the SNPF did not join the strike called Thursday and Friday by several organizations of liberal doctors to obtain an increase in consultation rates.
“This bronchiolitis is severe, it affects toddlers: we are not going to leave them and tell the parents
we are on strike, manage
.
It's not possible, ”said Dr. Virey.
Read also Bronchiolitis epidemic: can adults also be affected?
“Perhaps some will appear as strikers while working”, continued the manager, believing that city pediatricians suffer “a lack of intellectual and financial recognition of what they do”.
For the union official, it would also be necessary to "double the number of pediatricians in training", which are "between 320 and 330 this year".
For this, “we must make the profession attractive.
But what is happening at the moment - a degraded way of working to see all the children - is a bit scary for young people, ”notes Doctor Virey.
