Surveillance of Bronchiolitis in France, 2016–2017 Season

This article presents the findings of the epidemiological surveillance of bronchiolitis in France during the 2016–2017 season. Methods: This report is based on a descriptive analysis of bronchiolitis surveillance data for children under 2 years of age, provided by an outpatient medical network (SOS Médecins), the emergency departments of the OSCOUR® network, as well as hospital-based virological analyses (RENAL) and outpatient virological analyses (Réseau Sentinelles). Results: The bronchiolitis epidemic began in mid-November (week 46 of 2016) in the Île-de-France and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions, and spread to the entire mainland in mid-December (week 50 of 2016). It lasted 15 weeks. In total, during the surveillance period (weeks 41–2016 to 11–2017), SOS Médecins recorded more than 9,000 cases of bronchiolitis involving children under 2 years of age. Emergency departments at facilities participating in the surveillance system recorded more than 46,000 consultations for bronchiolitis in this same age group, 38% of which resulted in hospitalization. The dynamics of the outbreak, occurring concurrently with the circulation of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), are comparable to those of previous years. Conclusion: The bronchiolitis epidemic follows a similar pattern each year but varies in intensity, resulting in sustained activity over an extended period in emergency departments and pediatric medicine units.

Publishing year: 2017

Pages: 650-7

Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin, 2017, n° 31, p. 650-7

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