In Luxembourg: a wave of bronchiolitis shakes the children’s clinic

“Several dozens of children have already been hospitalized since the beginning of October, with respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis. A dozen have required admission to intensive care for respiratory support in the past four weeks. Specializing in pediatric infectious diseases, Dr Isabel de la Fuente and the Kannerklinik of the Center Hospitalier de Luxembourg are currently experiencing, like other hospitals in Europe, a “particularly high workload and bed capacity”. Blame a more virulent respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis outbreak this year, but also earlier.

While the peak of this type of outbreak generally occurs in late December and January, “we have already seen, since the last few weeks of October, a large number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations. They even exceed the usual December-January peak activity for this type of epidemic,” he said. The phenomenon is also observed in the United States or France with unprecedented hospitalization rates for a decade. 10 and 16 October, to then almost double in the following two weeks.

Faced with this wave, “we pediatricians remain concerned that if the situation worsens it will become difficult. We know that this virus circulates epidemically every year. The situation should improve in a few weeks or months but until then we must continue to treat the young patients ”, she insists. Currently, the majority of admissions to Kannerklinik are due to bronchiolitis (small airway infection) requiring respiratory support (by oxygen or other assistance).

In the absence of a specific treatment for an infection, “it is very important to avoid it in very young children (infants under six months)”, specifies the pediatrician who advises reducing social contacts, avoiding contact with sick people (even a cold ), or frequent closed places with many people and regularly wash the hands of those around you and toys.

It is very important to try to curb the current epidemic to avoid “uncontrollable relapses in hospitals such as in some countries such as France and to ensure that all patients are treated”, underlines Isabel de la Fuente. Epidemic peaks risk having deleterious effects on the functioning of infrastructures and require measures similar to those taken in the face of Covid in a crisis situation”.

For ten years, preventive care has been given to the children most at risk. Another treatment has just been approved with an injection that would be enough to cover the winter period and should be available in 2023. Other vaccines are being studied and could be administered during pregnancy to protect newborns.