A chickenpox epidemic is raging in France. In 11 regions, outbreaks with heavy traffic were identified.
School is out, but that doesn’t stop chickenpox from circulating. In France, eleven outbreaks have been identified by the network Sentinels. Alsace, Brittany and the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region are hard hit by this epidemic.
The children did not all take advantage of the start of the summer vacation. The Sentinels network reports an upsurge in cases of chickenpox in many regions. During the week of June 29, 32 cases per 100,000 inhabitants were identified. Alsace and Brittany are by far the most affected, with 90 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
The chickenpox epidemic is receding from the previous week. But it comes at the wrong time: the cases occurred at the same time as the hot weather. Each year in France, around 700,000 cases of chickenpox are reported, 90% of which are in children under 10 years old.
This viral disease is highly contagious through the respiratory tract, inhalation of droplets of saliva, or direct contact with skin lesions. It is manifested by a moderate fever (38 ° C), a rash, then vesicles. The incubation period is 2-3 weeks and contagiousness begins 2-4 days before the onset of clinical signs. Usually healing takes 10-15 days, but complications are possible, especially in older people. This is why it is possible to be vaccinated. If each adult who did not have chickenpox during his childhood adopted this gesture, a quarter of annual infections could be avoided, according to Inserm (National Institute of Health and Medical Research).
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