5 babies have already died in 2024: three questions about the increase in the incidence of parvovirus B19

Whooping cough, measles, meningococcal infection… To the list of infections, the number of which has been growing in recent months, we now add infections caused by “parvovirus B19”, a pathogen that has not been particularly circulating in recent years. The epidemic, affecting children in particular, “will continue to grow in 2024 with a peak that has not yet been reached in March,” France’s public health service warned in a report published Monday evening. We take stock.

What kind of virus is this?

Parvovirus B19 is a virus from the parvovirus family, most often transmitted through the respiratory route (droplets, sneezing, etc.). It usually causes asymptomatic forms, but can also lead to erythema infectiosum, often called “fifth disease” because it is the fifth viral infection (along with measles, rubella, chickenpox and roseola) that causes a rash in a child.

Severe forms are possible in people with weakened immune systems and chronic anemia, as well as in pregnant women, as this virus can cause miscarriages and the risk of severe fetoplacental edema.

What are the exact numbers?

Last summer, the French Ministry of Health was concerned about an “unusual number of serious pediatric hospitalizations” at Necker Hospital (Paris). In the fall, emergency officials raised the alarm, which led to the establishment of special surveillance.

Since May 2023, the number of positive cases of parvovirus B19 infection has increased sharply, especially among children and women of pregnant age (20-40 years). The levels achieved are much higher than in the last year before Covid. About a hundred children under the age of 15 now present to the emergency department every week with suspected parvovirus B19 infection, compared with fewer than 10 last year during the same period.

We do not have exact data on the development of serious cases and miscarriages, but in the first three months of the year, five deaths have already been reported. These are five babies under the age of one year, including four who died “in the first days of life” due to infection of their mother. In each of the five years before Covid, on average fewer than two people died from parvovirus B19 infection. This “unusually high” figure in 2024 “must be controlled,” warns the French Health Service.

The surge could be explained by a “deficiency in exposure” to the pathogen during the Covid pandemic, the health agency said. Obviously, since we were less exposed to parvovirus B19 due to barrier gestures and imposed restrictions, we would now be more likely to contract it. Other countries, such as Israel, have the same situation.

How to detect this?

There are no specific symptoms to suspect parvovirus B19 infection, especially in children. “Diagnosis without a test is delicate because it is a viral skin rash with some typical semiological characteristics… which we do not always detect,” says general practitioner Mikael Rochoy.

However, if measles is suspected but the test comes back negative, for example, this should be a cause for concern. For pregnant women, French Public Health recommends “contacting a specialist service in case of decreased active movements” of the fetus. For the most vulnerable people, the priority is to “avoid any contact with a person affected or suspected of having parvovirus B19 infection.”