Almost all urban areas are now affected by the epidemic phase of bronchiolitis. Six children were transferred outside the Ile-de-France region due to a shortage of beds.
The bronchiolitis epidemic is rebounding in France. “Due to occasional problems related to the availability of beds in pediatric intensive care,” six children had to be transferred out of Ile-de-France since October 16, BFMTV has learned from the Ile-de-France Regional Health Agency (ARS).
Five of them were transferred because “interregional” care enabled them to stay close to where the families live,” the rehabilitation service specifies. At the regional level, the bronchiolitis epidemic is entering its “seventh week.”
“rise stage”
The association adds: “If this epidemic is less strong than last year, it is still in an ascending stage,” explaining that the capacity of pediatric intensive care beds “is equivalent to (that of) last year,” at 181 beds. This compares to 179 in 2022. “The number of visits to pediatric emergencies is lower than last year,” the regional agency explains.
On Tuesday, November 22, the French Public Health Authority published its weekly report on the bronchiolitis epidemic, declaring that almost all urban areas are affected by the epidemic phase, with the exception of Corsica. Abroad, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyana remain affected by the epidemic.
Between 13 and 19 November, there was an annual epidemic of bronchiolitis, which mainly affects children. The Public Health Authority of France notes that “activity associated with bronchiolitis in children under two years of age is increasing in cities and in hospitals.”
Tens of thousands of hospitalizations in 2022
Bronchiolitis, primarily caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), causes breathing difficulties in children. Generally, it is not serious, however it can lead to an emergency room visit and hospitalization.
Last year, it caused an epidemic unprecedented in more than ten years, sending tens of thousands of infants to the hospital.
