Bronchiolitis: the epidemic is recovering after a lull, all megacities are affected

An epidemic of bronchiolitis, which mainly affects infants, has resumed its development in recent days after a break due to the school holidays, the public health agency said on Wednesday, now affecting all metropolitan areas except Corsica.

Last week, “activity related to bronchiolitis in children under two years of age increased in cities and hospitals,” the French Ministry of Health summarized in its weekly report. From now on, all mainland regions are in the epidemic phase, with the exception of Corsica. Overseas, the epidemic continues to affect Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyana.

It thus marks a resumption after a break in early November, which the French Ministry of Health attributed to school holidays, which is likely to lead to reduced contact between children in the community.

Breathing difficulties in babies

Bronchiolitis, caused primarily by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), causes difficulty breathing in infants. It is usually not serious, but can still 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. One big question is the effect of Sanofi’s new prophylactic drug Beyfortus, which has received strong support from parents to the point where it has become a victim of its own success.

It was initially offered to all babies born after February, but was soon limited. Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau announced an order for 50,000 new doses from Sanofi on Sunday in Le Monde newspaper.

Aurélien Rousseau also concluded last week that Beyfortus has already proven its value in hospitalization rates, even though pediatricians tend to be more measured and consider such conclusions too premature.

Fewer hospitalizations than last year

Emergency room visits for bronchiolitis are certainly fewer than last year, which was particularly severe, but the changes are subtle compared to previous seasons. On the other hand, these cases appear to be less likely to result in hospitalization, especially in intensive care units for the most serious cases.

French public health also provided an assessment of two other diseases: Covid, which is showing some signs of recovery, and seasonal influenza, which is still limited to a few sporadic cases on mainland France in anticipation of the inevitable annual epidemic. In the southern hemisphere with an inverted climate, only Mayotte remains in the epidemic phase. What came out of this was a reunion.