Due to the bronchiolitis epidemic that has been growing in France since mid-October, it is important to know the correct behaviors to take to reduce the transmission of the virus and to react if your child under 2 shows signs of bronchiolitis. Service-Public.fr and health insurance inform you about the right steps to take to protect your baby.
Bronchiolitis is a viral respiratory infection that mainly affects children under the age of 2. The disease is usually caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which causes inflammation of the walls of the bronchioles (the smaller bronchi). It is characterized by breathing difficulties, the signs of which are cough and rapid wheezing. To find out more about the symptoms, you can consult the Health Insurance page ” Recognizing Bronchiolitis “.
Since bronchiolitis is a highly contagious disease, simple actions can reduce the risk of transmission of the virus. It is also important to know the correct behaviors to adopt in case of bronchiolitis in a newborn.
How to reduce the risk of virus transmission?
To reduce the transmission of the virus within the family, here are the preventive measures to be taken:
- wash your hands for 30 seconds with soap and water or a hydroalcoholic solution before and after any contact with the baby;
- open the windows of the room where the child sleeps at least 10 minutes a day;
- when possible, avoid taking the child to confined public places (public transport, shopping centers, etc.) where there is a risk of contact with people with colds;
- do not share unwashed bottles, pacifiers or cutlery;
- regularly wash toys and soft toys;
- do not smoke near babies and children;
- in case of cold: cough or sneeze in the elbow, avoid kissing the baby on the face and hands, wear a mask when taking care of your baby.
You can consult the page ” Prevent bronchiolitis, a highly contagious viral disease “.
What to do if your baby shows signs of bronchiolitis?
If your child shows signs of bronchiolitis, you should quickly contact your doctor who will confirm the diagnosis and then follow the treatment and treatment prescribed by the doctor.
To relieve your baby in case of breathing difficulties, you need to help him breathe better:
- clean your nose 6 times a day with physiological serum and, systematically, before meals and before going to bed;
- keep your back straight when awake;
- lying on your back;
- don’t cover it too much.
You should give your child water to drink regularly to avoid dehydration and to make sure he is eating enough, you can give him small amounts more often.
Monitor the progress of the disease, especially the first 3 days.
Coughing is essential to evacuate secretions: cough medicines (syrups, diluents, etc.) are contraindicated in young children. Likewise, antibiotics are useless because bronchiolitis is caused by a virus and not a bacterium.
What are the signs to call the emergency services?
You must contact the emergency room (Samu) without delay by dialing 15 or 112 in case of alarming signs in your child:
- drink less than half of your bottles during 3 consecutive meals or are unable to suckle while breastfeeding;
- vomits systematically;
- his behavior is disturbing: he sleeps all the time and lacks energy or, on the contrary, he cries in an unusual way, is restless and cannot fall asleep;
- has more and more difficulty in breathing.
And even if your child has, in addition to these symptoms, the following severity criteria:
- is less than 3 months old and was born premature;
- is less than 6 weeks old;
- suffer from heart, respiratory or immunodeficiency diseases.
Know : Nearly 3,000 children under the age of 2 went to the emergency room for bronchiolitis in the week of 10 to 16 October (source Public Health France).
Faced with tensions in pediatric hospital services, the Minister of Health and Prevention announced the start of a immediate action plan to ease the health system and enable good care for all children.
