Almost 25,000 people have been infected with the chickenpox virus. The vast majority of patients are under 5 years old.
France is scratching. During the last week, the number of cases of chickenpox seen in general medicine rose from 17 to 37 per 100,000 inhabitants, or nearly 25,000 people infected with this infectious disease.
The Sentinels network, responsible for its surveillance, indicates in its latest bulletin that 8 regional outbreaks have been observed. Consultations for chickenpox are particularly strong in Pays de la Loire (74 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), Ile-de-France (50), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (49), Grand Est (47) and Hauts-de-France (40).
8 households regions of high to moderate activity
At the same time, activity is progressing in Brittany (37 cases per 100,000), Corsica (35) and particularly the north of the island and Occitania (27). In these 3 regions, activity is considered moderate.
Between 35 and 40% of patients seen by general practitioners at Sentinelles are under 5 years old. Less than one in 10 patients is under 20 years old, and a little less than 5% are under 45 years old.
3,000 hospitalizations per year
Very contagious, chickenpox particularly affects children, and is most often benign. Each year, nearly 700,000 cases of chickenpox are identified. Almost all are less than 10 years old. Among them, 3,000 are hospitalized (75% under the age of 10) and 20 die. Complications increase with age.
The virus is transmitted by the respiratory route or by direct contact with skin lesions. The incubation period is 2-3 weeks, but infected people are contagious 2-4 days before the pimples appear and continue to be contagious until the scab stage, about a week after the rash. . This is accompanied by a high fever. It usually takes two weeks to heal from chickenpox.
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