Due to a serious wave of respiratory diseases in babies and young children, France has activated an emergency plan for all hospitals in the country. Health Minister François Braun said Wednesday in the Senate in Paris that there had not been such a high number of hospitalizations for a bronchiolitis epidemic in a decade.
Therefore, all regions have now received more help to support the nursing staff and ensure the care of the children and families. The northern half of France is particularly affected. Like bronchitis, bronchiolitis is a respiratory disease that primarily affects infants.
In the past week alone, 6,891 babies under the age of two and babies with bronchiolitis came to the emergency room in France, health authorities said. 2,337 were hospitalized, 95 percent of whom were under one year of age. (SDA)