Bronchiolitis: the epidemic is spreading throughout France, nearly 1,400 babies hospitalized in one week – LCI

The entire metropolis is now affected by the bronchiolitis epidemic, or almost. According to the latest report published on Wednesday by Public Health France, the epidemic has spread to Brittany, one of the few regions not yet classified “red” by the health agency. Corsica is now the last metropolitan region still spared, classified in the pre-epidemic phase.

Across the country, this disease, which affects babies and did not cause an epidemic last year, continues to fill the hospital services. According to Public Health France, 4,189 children under two were seen in the emergency room for bronchiolitis the week of October 25, a 25% increase in seven days. Of these, 3,777 (90%) were less than one year old.

Last week, some 1,395 babies were even hospitalized, 22% more in a week. Of these, a large majority (1,289, 92%) were under one year of age.

Common and highly contagious, bronchiolitis causes babies to cough and difficult, rapid, wheezing. Most of the time benign, it sometimes requires a visit to the emergency room, or even hospitalization. In an attempt to stem the epidemic, the president of the French Pediatric Society recently recommended to “limit visits to the circle of very close adults, not sick”.