The bronchiolitis epidemic, which first strikes infants and risks being marked this winter after a blank year linked to Covid, continues in all regions of metropolitan France, health authorities announced on Wednesday.
In children under two years of age, the main age group struck by bronchiolitis, the indicators however decreased during the week of November 7, specifies the agency, which for several weeks had reported a strong increase.
This decrease (-22% of visits to emergencies) "
could be transitory with the end of school holidays and the public holiday
" of November 11, she qualifies.
Read alsoBronchiolitis: the epidemic hits the whole metropolis
Of the 3,247 children under two seen in the emergency department for bronchiolitis, 2,895 (89%) were under one year of age and 1,156 (36%) were hospitalized.
Of the 1156 children hospitalized, 1079 (93%) were under one year of age.
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.
Read also Influenza, Covid-19, bronchiolitis: a high-risk winter cocktail
Last winter, confinements and anti-Covid barrier gestures helped block all viruses, including RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), responsible for bronchiolitis.
The children were less infected than usual and therefore have less collective immunity, raising fears of a stronger epidemic this year.
This phenomenon could also concern other winter viruses, including those of influenza or gastroenteritis.
For now, the flu is limited to "
sporadic cases
", according to the agency, which reports a single case admitted to intensive care in hospital.