Bronchiolitis: the epidemic continues to progress in France

New French regions have been hit in recent days by the annual epidemic of bronchiolitis, which mainly affects infants, even if its level remains lower for now than last year’s historic outbreak, the French Ministry of Health said this Thursday in its weekly report. As of last week, “bronchiolitis-related activity was still increasing in community health and hospital settings among children under two years of age,” the public health agency summarized.

Center-Val-de-Loire and Grand-East have now entered the epidemic phase, joining Brittany, Ile-de-France, Normandy and the Loire countries on the French mainland. Abroad, three regions (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana) remain in the epidemic phase.

Bayfortus is still missing

Bronchiolitis, caused primarily by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), causes difficulty breathing in infants. It is usually not serious, but can sometimes lead to an emergency room visit and hospitalization. Last year it sparked an epidemic unprecedented in a decade, leaving tens of thousands of babies in hospital.

However, the current level of hospitalizations remains lower than last year, although it is too early to draw conclusions about the nature of the epidemic this season. One of the big questions is the effect that Sanofi’s new prophylactic drug, Beifortus, will have. It was initially offered to all babies born after February, but is currently being reserved for maternity hospitals pending new supplies.