Key Points

Hospital indicators rise again. The bronchiolitis outbreak, which began early in Week 41 (October 11–17, 2021), has been ongoing in the region for six weeks. Following a decline linked to school holidays, a new increase in emergency department visits and hospitalizations for bronchiolitis has been observed.

In week 46 of 2021 (November 15–21, 2021):

• 70 SOS Médecins* consultations recorded, representing 7.4% of activity involving children under 2 years of age (compared to 8.0% in week 45);

• 232 emergency room visits recorded, representing 14.1% of activity among children under 2 years of age (compared to 13.8% in week 45), of which 96 were followed by hospitalization, representing 41.4% of bronchiolitis cases;

• The proportion of bronchiolitis cases among hospitalizations for children under 2 years of age has risen slightly (31.4% in week 46 compared to 30.2% in week 45); nearly 96% of hospitalizations for bronchiolitis involve children under 1 year of age;

• RSV circulation remains active across the country.

* Data should be interpreted with caution due to a strike that has impacted the operations of SOS Médecins since week 39 of 2021.

At the regional level, this increase in hospital indicators is mainly observed in Deux-Sèvres (25% of emergency department visits and 60% of hospitalizations are due to bronchiolitis).