The epidemic already exceeds the peak of the 2018-2019 season and continues to progress throughout the territory. Some hospitals like in Rouen, Bordeaux, Limoges and again Le Havre had to activate their white plan.
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Winter will be particularly complicated for pediatric resuscitation services. The tensions reported in Ile-de-France, where more than thirty-four transfers have already had to be organized to other regions, are no exception. On the rest of the metropolitan territory, which has thirty-seven services specializing in the care of children whose vital prognosis is engaged, many establishments bring back saturated beds, passages to emergencies constantly increasing and some, as in Rouen , Bordeaux, Limoges or even in Le Havre, had to activate their white plan, an emergency device to face an exceptional health situation.
To the lack of workforce in many services is added the bronchiolitis epidemic, seasonal and expected, but earlier and more intense than in previous years. “The epidemic started four to five weeks in advance, and this everywhere in mainland France, from October 10 in seven regions then the following two weeks in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and in Corsica,” explains Sophie Vaux, of the Directorate of Infectious Diseases of the Public Health Agency France (SPF). More than 6,000 children under 2 years old went to the emergency room for bronchiolitis in mainland France during the week of October 24 to 30, a leap of 47 % compared to the previous week, according to the weekly bulletin published Thursday November 3 .
If bronchiolitis occurs every year and most of the time remains benign, it can lead to complications requiring hospitalization in 2 % to 3 % of cases, or even resuscitation, especially in less than 1 year. The disease affecting nearly 500,000 children each winter, ten thousands will need a hospital place. “The school holidays did not have their usual slowdown effect, and the curve is much more marked than in 2021, warns Sophie Vaux. We are already at a level higher than the peaks of previous years.”
“Five children in five days”
If the impact is different depending on the region, the epidemic began stronger in the North and in Ile-de-France. 150 kilometers east of Paris, the pediatric resuscitation of the CHU de Reims (Marne) have already had ten Parisian children since mid-October. “But it was above all accelerated recently, with five children in five days,” said Gauthier Loron, head of the service. The Samu of Ile-de-France calls at least twice a day to find out if we have room. “
During the night of Wednesday to Thursday, four of the six beds were occupied by small Parisians, three bronchiolitis and a severe flu. Unheard of, according to the pediatrician. “For the moment, the epidemic is only in its infancy, but soon we will have to welcome our own cases,” alerts Gauthier Loron, whose pediatric resuscitation service is the only one in Champagne-Ardenne. Unlike the capital, where paramedical staff are missing, its sector suffers from a deficit of doctors, little attracted by this medical desert taken between the Grand-Est and Paris.
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