Since the beginning of the week, the pediatric emergency department of the Toulouse University Hospital has had nearly 170 visits per day compared to 140 to 150 usually in the midst of an epidemic of bronchiolitis. On weekends, the number of passages per day even exceeds 200. This disease affects children under two years of age and causes babies to cough and have difficult, rapid and wheezing breathing. To cope with this influx, more than twenty additional beds have opened in advance since October, others will be open this weekend and 16 medicine beds until mid-December. A total of 33 childcare nurses and 35 childcare assistants were also recruited.
Thanks to these measures,the white plan
announced Wednesday evening by the Minister of Health, which makes it possible to recall carers on leave or to transfer children to other regions, does not concern Toulouse for the moment.
Days without respite for caregivers
France Bleu Occitanie was able to push the door of the room of Pria, a 4-month-old baby sick since Wednesday and taken care of in the pediatric emergency room of Purpan. The baby was installed in a cot, under the eyes of his mother Doris. Pria is cared for by Nathalie, responsible for the care of children, and her team “we put a small tube in her stomach so that she can be fed directly because she is exhausted, she needs to be helped to recover her strength.” The little one needs at least 24 to 48 hours of rest and it can happen that the beds run out “It’s complicated, there is a very high level of activity, the days are endless, it’s also difficult for the healthcare teams.” So far, all patients who have come forward have been accepted.
The epidemic has become “more aggressive”
The hospital has to deal with an epidemic that has become “more aggressive“, indicates Sarah Viguier, the director of the children’s hospital at the Toulouse University Hospital: “The epidemic is not manifesting itself in the same way as in the years preceding the covid crisis. She arrived earlier, she more virulent, and lasts longer. We’re not used to it.”The peak of the epidemic is expected in mid-December. If the situation becomes too complicated, the CHU will alert the Regional Health Agency, which may decide to trigger the White Plan in Toulouse.
Reminder of good behavior
To avoid the winter viruses which are the cause of bronchiolitis epidemics each year, the Regional Health Agency reminds us of the good behavior to follow and it starts with respecting barrier gestures:
– Wash your hands regularly or use a hydro-alcoholic solution
-Cough or sneeze into your elbow or into a tissue, blow your nose into a single-use tissue and throw it away
-Wear a mask when you are sick and ventilate the rooms regularly.
In case of symptoms, the good reflex is always to contact your doctor first. In the event of an emergency or when the attending physician is absent, call 15 before moving.