Since the arrival of the seasonal bronchiolitis epidemic in the West Indies, an estimated 10-20 weekly consultations by regional health agencies during the last three weeks of last December. Activity is still “ongoing” at the hospital at the beginning of 2022.
Respiratory disease coagulates in the West Indies as the New Year approaches. In addition to the surge in the numbers of Covid-19 and the circulation of its new variant Omicron, which is accelerating, there is an epidemic of bronchiolitis.
According to the First Monitoring and Vigilance and Alert Bulletin 2022 from Public Health France Antilles, “the trend in pediatric emergencies has been generally stable since mid-November 2021, but remained strong” as of December 31, in pediatric emergencies of bronchiolitis.
To this day, this epidemic continues on the two islands.
for Martinique
Nine to 12 visits were recorded for children under the age of two, followed by 15 visits to the hospital (…). This trend is explained by the closing of GP practices during school holidays.
for GuadeloupePublic Health France defines the following:
Data on emergency visits to children under 2 years of age cannot be explained because RPU transfusion has been discontinued by CHU since the beginning of December (2021–49).
In all, since the beginning of the epidemic, 105 emergency visits for bronchiolitis have been recorded, half of which have been hospitalized.
In SOS Doctors, since the first half of last November, “data observed in the usual differences” define the public health authority in France, compared with data from the previous two seasons for the same period.
“Effect of Barrier Measures”
In the current context of the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in France, monitoring of bronchiolitis in infants for the 2021-2022 season will allow, on the one hand, to monitor the impact of barrier measures currently in force on transmission. Respiratory syncytial virus, the main cause of bronchiolitis in infants, but also to study the possible contribution of SARS-CoV-2 to the occurrence of this pathology.
Recommendations to avoid bronchiolitis.
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The seasonal epidemic of bronchiolitis usually begins in mid-October and peaks in December. 30% of children under the age of two are affected by this disease each year in France.
See also:
Surveillance of bronchiolitis in Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy