Two regions have already exceeded the epidemic threshold for gastroenteritis.
While the peak of consultations is normally observed between December and January, two regions have already exceeded the epidemic threshold for gastroenteritis.
Acute gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract responsible for diarrhea and frequently abdominal pain and vomiting. It is most often viral and therefore very contagious. It can also be bacterial or parasitic.
Pays de la Loire and Hauts-de-France
The epidemic threshold, set at 151 cases (per 100,000 inhabitants), has largely been reached in the Pays de la Loire region (183 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) and Hauts-de-France (177 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). Normandy is also affected by gastro, with 150 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, as well as the Grand Est region (149 cases per 100,000 inhabitants).
According to the latest data from the Sentinels network, in metropolitan France as a whole, the incidence rate of cases of gastroenteritis seen in general medical consultations was estimated at 102 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
One three days off work
In the event of contamination, know that it is not good to resume a collective activity too soon. Even after the symptoms have subsided, it is still possible to transmit the virus, whether at nursery, at school or at work.
The Australian Department of Health recommends staying home for at least 24 hours after the last vomiting or diarrhea. In France, health insurance recommends for viral gastroenteritis a three days off work, to be adapted according to the severity of the symptoms.
Pass through the cracks
These tips are based on the most common viral gastroenteritis, norovirus. In this specific case, the highest rate of excretion in the stool occurs 24 to 48 hours after all symptoms have disappeared, and then decreases rapidly. Some people will therefore no longer be contagious after 24 hours. But to be completely certain of not contaminating anyone, all patients should resume their collective activities 48 hours after the end of symptoms.
Some rules should, however, allow you to slip through the cracks. The first, which seems logical but which we may tend to forget: wash our hands with soap very frequently, especially as soon as we get home, after taking transport, before eating and after going in the toilet. You should also avoid sharing your glass and cutlery at the table, regularly clean the surfaces touched by everyone in a house such as toilets, sinks or door handles!
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