Cases of bronchiolitis are on the rise in the Hauts-de-France, Ile-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie regions, raising fears of an earlier than usual epidemic.
- 30% of children under 2 are affected by bronchiolitis each year.
- Generally, the illness lasts about ten days.
The bronchiolitis epidemic could arrive early this year. According to the last point of Public health Francefive French regions are in the pre-epidemic phase: Hauts-de-France, Ile-de-France, New-Aquitaine, Normandy and Occitanie. Last week, only Normandy was at this alert level. In these different regions, the health organization observes the “continued increase in bronchiolitis surveillance indicators in children under 2 years of age“.
[#Bronchiolite] October 5 Weekly Bulletin
➡️ Transition to the pre-epidemic phase in the Hauts-de-France, Ile-de-France, New Aquitaine and Occitanie regions.
???? To view the newsletter https://t.co/6ZikWgCUic pic.twitter.com/zTsJcNykdO– Public HealthFrance (@SantePublicFr) October 5, 2022
Bronchiolitis may require hospitalization for young children
This disease is caused by an infection with the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), it can affect anyone. But the serious forms generally concern children under two years old, the elderly or fragile can also be sensitive to it. In adults or children over two years old, the pathology manifests itself as a cold and may even be asymptomatic. In the youngest, the cold is accompanied by a cough, even wheezing. “The child may be embarrassed to breathe and have difficulty eating and sleeping, warns him Ministry of Health. He may have a fever.“Some children can develop a serious form, which requires hospitalization. Between September 26 and October 2, 1,491 children under the age of 2 were examined in the emergency room because of bronchiolitis. The figure is up from 41 % compared to the previous week.Among them, 31% were hospitalized, of which 94% were less than one year old.
An epidemic of bronchiolitis which could be earlier
These figures are stable compared to last year, but have increased compared to 2019-2020, both for emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Health authorities expect an earlier-than-average outbreak. Generally, it starts at the end of October, and reaches its peak at the end of the year before ending in March.
How to protect against bronchiolitis?
If the virus responsible for bronchiolitis is very contagious, certain precautions can be taken to protect against it. Transmission can be through saliva, coughing and sneezing, but the virus can also stay on objects. In the event of a cold in adults, it is preferable to wear a mask when caring for a child, to cover the mouth in case of sneeze or cough, and to avoid kissing the infant on face and hands. In general, the Ministry of Health recommends that parents wash their hands well before and after taking care of their child, ventilate the rooms well, wash their toys and comforters regularly, and avoid taking their child in confined places where people with colds are likely to be. If despite these precautions, your child is contaminated, it is important to consult a doctor to confirm the diagnosis. In the majority of cases, the disease heals spontaneously. “Consultations in the emergency room and hospitalization are rarely necessary”, specifies Public Health France. About 2 to 3% of children under one year old are hospitalized each year because of bronchiolitis.
