Bronchiolitis: a “tense” situation in pediatrics, ten regions in the epidemic phase

It all started with an ear infection and a sore throat. Adrien “then started coughing and gradually he lost his appetite and vomited,” says Sabina, mother of a 7-month-old baby. I made an appointment with the doctor and quickly made a diagnosis: bronchiolitis, “very likely” picked up in kindergarten.

Hadrien is far from the only child coughing these days. According to a new weekly report from French Public Health published this Wednesday, ten of the thirteen regions of mainland France are still in the epidemic phase. All indicators have risen sharply over the past month, be it SOS doctor consultations, emergency department visits and hospitalizations, and especially earlier than in each of the pre-Covid years. “The situation is tense, bronchiolitis has appeared this year,” sums up Professor Christelle Gras Le Guen, a pediatrician at the University Hospital of Nantes and former president of the French Pediatric Society.

The curves “stabilized” last week, but this is likely due, as every year, to the school holidays. “During All Saints’ Day it was very calm and since the beginning of the school year, as always, it has started to increase again,” says Brigitte Virey, president of the National Union of French Pediatricians.

Effective Bayfortus?

Fortunately, we are still far from the exceptional levels achieved a year ago at the same time of year. “This is not like the hell last year when there were tents in front of the emergency services. Pediatric services are operating at full capacity, but we are still in a situation that we can control,” says Christelle Gras Le Guen. At this stage, the pediatrician has not “heard” of a child in intensive care being transferred from one institution to another since October. “Usually this immediately causes a scandal! »

In response to a question Tuesday morning on Sud Radio, Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau confirmed that “the indications are positive” because “we have fewer serious forms.” He sees this “without a doubt” as the impact of the preventive treatment Beifortus, offered to babies for the first time this year.

This year, 200,000 doses were reserved for France, but parents’ desire to protect their children exceeded government expectations and Bayfortus is now reserved for maternity hospitals. Sabina would also like to vaccinate her child, but was unable to. “We tried it because, as a firefighter, I trust recommendations,” the young woman says, even though she is relieved to see her baby feeling better.

The fact remains that these “positive signs” are difficult to capture in numbers if we take another step back. Bronchiolitis accounts for about 40% of NICU admissions in children under 2 years of age, which is higher at this time of year than between 2015 and 2020. at this stage it is too early to say anything,” concludes Christelle Gras Le Guen.