Faced with the resurgence of enterovirus infections, including meningitis, Public Health France calls for vigilance

Enterovirus infections, including meningitis, are on the rise at levels equivalent to the pre-Covid period and are likely to circulate significantly this summer, particularly among young children, Public Health France warned on Wednesday, July 24.

Common, especially in children, enterovirus infections are most often benign, but can lead in some cases to severe forms, neurological, respiratory, cardiac or digestive. There have been in particular “a higher number of cases of meningitis between the weeks of March 18 and May 19 compared to the same period in 2023”note Public Health France and the national reference center for enteroviruses and parechoviruses in a report.

This phenomenon was reflected in emergency room visits and hospitalizations for viral meningitis. Public Health France insists on strengthening family and/or community hygiene rules (hand washing, surface disinfection, etc.), “essential to limit the transmission of these viruses, particularly to immunocompromised people and pregnant women.”