Headlines - Enterovirus Infections Less Prevalent or Delayed This Year

These infections are common, present with a wide variety of symptoms, and primarily affect children under 15. The virus spreads through person-to-person contact via viruses excreted in feces, through the air during a respiratory infection, or through saliva or skin lesions in the case of hand, foot, and mouth disease. The symptoms and course of the infections are mostly benign, except in newborns, who may develop a potentially fatal systemic infection, and in immunocompromised patients. When the infection is symptomatic, the most frequently observed and diagnosed manifestations are cerebrospinal, primarily consisting of meningitis requiring only symptomatic treatment and progressing rapidly toward complete recovery without sequelae. In very rare cases, encephalitis (about ten cases per year in France), paralysis, and ataxia may occur. In France, an increase in enterovirus infection diagnoses is observed every year during the summer and fall (figure). To date, the data on reported symptomatic infections indicate that enterovirus circulation appears less active and/or delayed compared to previous years, regardless of the region (provisional data from the Enterovirus Surveillance Network). To date, the data collected have not identified any major outbreaks of viral meningitis, but several outbreaks of hand, foot, and mouth disease have been reported, with coxsackieviruses A6 and A16 being the most commonly isolated. [...]