Bronchiolitis: the epidemic hits the whole metropolis

The bronchiolitis epidemic, which first affects infants and is likely to be particularly marked this winter after a blank year linked to Covid, is now affecting all of metropolitan France, the health authorities announced on Wednesday November 10.

Read also Influenza, Covid-19, bronchiolitis: a high-risk winter cocktail

"

", announced the French public health agency.

In children under 2 years of age, the main age group struck by bronchiolitis, the indicators remain at a "

", specifies the agency, which for several weeks had reported a strong increase.

Corsica was the last region of the metropolis to remain in the pre-epidemic phase after Brittany entered the epidemic last week.

During the week of November 1, of the 4,100 children under two years of age seen in the emergency room for bronchiolitis, 3,652 (89%) were under one and 1,427 (35%) were hospitalized.

Fragility of children under one year old

Of the children hospitalized, 1,331 (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.

Last winter, confinements and anti-Covid barrier gestures helped block all viruses, including RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), responsible for bronchiolitis.

Read alsoBronchiolitis: respiratory physiotherapy is no longer recommended

The children were less infected than usual and are therefore less immunized collectively, raising fears of a stronger epidemic this year.

This phenomenon could also concern other winter viruses, including those of influenza or gastroenteritis.

Public Health France is also monitoring seasonal influenza, for which the vaccination campaign has been launched for a few weeks.

For now, the disease is limited to "

", according to the agency, which reports a single case admitted to critical care in hospital.