An envelope of 400 million euros. This is the amount promised by the Minister of Health after a meeting of more than two hours with representatives of pediatric services. This extension should make it possible, according to François Braun, to prolong the doubling of night hours in order to “overcoming the bronchiolitis epidemic” earlier and more virulent than in previous years.
The latest epidemiological report from Public Health France, published Thursday, November 3, is alarming: all the indicators of the epidemic are red. All the regions are placed on maximum alert level for having exceeded the epidemic threshold. However, the situation is not homogeneous throughout France. While the east of the country seems to be less impacted, Hauts-de-France and Île-de-France are suffering from hospital overload. So much so that 31 babies welcomed in hospitals in the Ile-de-France had to be transferred to other regions.
During the week of October 24 to 30, 6,167 children under the age of two were seen in the emergency room, twice as many as during the same period in 2021. Compared to the previous week, this figure jumped by 47% . The number of hospitalizations after a visit to the emergency room increased by 45% in one week.
The epidemic is also much earlier than in previous years. It has already reached the epidemic peak of the particularly virulent 2018-2019 season. “We can see that it appeared five to six weeks earlier than the previous ones”notes Sophie Vaux, epidemiologist pharmacist responsible for monitoring bronchiolitis at Public Health France. “Generally, it starts in mid-November, peaks in December and ends in January.” This year, the first cases were detected in September and the number of contaminations has continued to increase since. “The health crisis has greatly disrupted other epidemics, both in France and around the world”according to the pharmacist.
The epidemic does not seem to be stalling, although the symptoms do not seem to be more serious than usual. “We are not seeing any downturn in the curve or any lull for the moment”notes Sophie Vaux again.
It is therefore necessary to remain vigilant, because the symptoms, often mild in adults or adolescents, can be dangerous for infants. Washing your hands, not sharing bottles and pacifiers, regularly cleaning soft toys and airing the baby’s room are all necessary steps to limit the risk of contamination.