With the arrival of autumn, the monitoring indicators for bronchiolitis are in the red in several regions of France, with regard to children under two years of age. This week, four regions in the north and southwest entered the epidemic phase.
According to Public Health France data published on Wednesday, these are Hauts-de-France, Ile-de-France, New Aquitaine and Occitanie. All other metropolitan areas, with the exception of Corsica, are now in the pre-epidemic phase.
The importance of barrier gestures
Bronchiolitis is making a comeback soon this year. The trend of last year continues, which had been especially virulent and had caused tension in the dedicated hospital services, especially after a year 2020 almost blank due to the confinements linked to Covid-19 and the multiplication of barrier gestures.
In the last seven days, 2,058 children under the age of 2 have been admitted to the emergency room for bronchiolitis. 92% of them were less than a year old, according to the public health agency. The disease especially affects young children, since of the 659 hospitalized children, 95% were less than one year old.
Santé Publique France also explains that, as with Covid-19, barrier gestures reduce the risk of infection. For example: wash your hands before and after taking care of the baby, ventilate the rooms or wear a mask in case of symptoms of winter illness. For children under two months, it is also advisable to limit visits and not take the baby to crowded and confined public places.
Source: BFM TV
