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Health: Beyfortus, preventive treatment for bronchiolitis, victim of its success
Health: Beyfortus, preventive treatment for bronchiolitis, victim of its success – (franceinfo)
Faced with the bronchiolitis epidemic which is growing in France, certain establishments are obliged to sort babies eligible for the treatment, Beyfortus. Explanations.
Just before summer, France ordered 200,000 doses of Beyfortus, for 700,000 births. The treatment prevents severe forms of bronchiolitis. Due to a very strong epidemic during winter 2022, the campaign was more successful than expected, and pharmacies are already out of stock. Due to a lack of doses, some maternity hospitals are forced to sort eligible babies.
Preventative treatment
“We prioritized toddlers, those weighing less than 2.5 kg, children who are going to return to a house where there are toddlers who are in the community, (…) and certain families who live in precarious situations important”, explains Christèle Gras-Le-Guen, pediatrician at Nantes University Hospital, responsible for supporting the deployment of Beyfortus in France. Beyfortus is not a vaccine, but a preventive treatment. It would be 85% effective on severe forms of the disease.