The institution on rue Bonaparte fears co-infections which could weigh on hospital services.
Are we going to see the big comeback of surgical masks and FFP-2? This is what the National Academy of Medicine would like, which believes that “the mask becomes necessary again” as winter approaches. The conjunction of three phenomena justifies this recommendation supported by the learned society: “the eighth waveof Covid-19 (which) seems to be stabilizing at a high level», «the prospect of an early seasonal flu epidemic” as well as “the bronchiolitisin children under 2 years old (which) has entered the epidemic phase throughout the territory“.
The Academy of Medicine is monitoring very closely this triple epidemic of respiratory viruses which is falling on French territory. Covid-19 contaminations continue, despite a significant slowdown. This Saturday, the Covid Tracker site lists 19,802 positive cases for Covid-19 and 66 admissions to critical care. Bronchiolitis infections in young children are putting pediatric services in difficulty, forcing the government to draw up new measures to support public hospitals valued at 400 million euros.
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The return of the respiratory influenza and bronchiolitis viruses comes after several winters when they no longer circulated or circulated very little. “During the 2020-2021 season, no active circulation of influenza viruses was observed, the strict application of barrier gestures, in particular wearing a mask and washing hands, having led to a spectacular decrease in the incidence of infections. flu, gastroenteritis and bronchiolitis“recalls the Academy.
The Academy of Medicine particularly fears the “co-infectionswhich have devastating effects on health and increase hospitalizations. “This possibility of double infection, exposing vulnerable people to the most severe forms and hospital services to the risk of saturation, must be taken into consideration for the 2022-2023 season.“, writes the institution in a press release. How ? By wearing the mask, but also by reconnecting with other barrier gestures that have been “abandoned since the end of the state of health emergency on July 31, 2022“, judges the Academy. Doctors are also calling fora forceful reminder of the vaccination recommendations“. They propose to couple booster doses against Covid-19 and vaccination against influenza.
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