Through David Saint-Sernin
Published on
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With the predominance of variant Delta in France, should we now worry about young children? They were little affected by the initial strain of the coronavirus but, in recent days, a doctor from Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) has alerted :
“Since last week, we are at ten babies under twelve weeks hospitalized,” said Thursday August 12 in an interview with nice morning, Philippe Babe, head of the pediatric emergency department at the Lenval hospital in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).
What about in Toulouse? Is the trend recorded in Nice shared by the pediatric emergencies of Toulouse? Should we be worried? Answers with Isabelle Claudet, head of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Purpan.
News: In Nice, a doctor alerted about an upsurge in hospitalizations of young children in his department. Do you make the same observation in Toulouse?
Isabelle Claudet : First, cases of covid in small infants, we have had them since the start of the epidemic. It is therefore not a novelty. These are children who have a fever more or less well tolerated but who are doing well. As a reminder, a child under six weeks old who has a fever will be hospitalized even if he does not have the covid.
What is the situation in Toulouse?
: There is a small increase in hospitalizations since we went from 1 to 3 hospitalizations per week to 4-5 to 6 children permanently hospitalized in our departments. These are children who have covid but who are doing well. We keep them because they have a fever and some of them are less tolerant of fever. They eat less well too, and at their age it can get a bit more complicated.
So is there nothing to worry about at this stage?
I.C. : The observation at this stage is that small children are not very sick and little transmitters. It’s been like that from the start and it’s really unique. We don’t really know the reason.
What is the reason for the increase in cases of hospitalized children?
: This is just confirmation of the greater contagiousness of the virus and an increase in the number of cases in the adult population. Most of the time, transmission logically takes place from parents to children. If Nice is recording an increase in hospitalizations of children at the moment, it is because the incidence rate of adults has been high there for several weeks. Conversely, in the north of France where the regions are less affected by the virus, the number of hospitalized children is lower.
For the moment, the vaccination of the youngest is not on the agenda in France, it is being evaluated in the United States by Pfizer, the first results in terms of tolerance seem very encouraging.
Do you think that vaccination of children under 12 is necessary and appropriate for the health situation you are describing?
: For the moment, the vaccination of the youngest is not on the agenda in France, it is being evaluated in the United States by Pfizer, the first results in terms of tolerance seem very encouraging. On the other hand, for the reasons that I mentioned, that is to say, small children who are not very sick, little transmitters, it would not be logical to vaccinate them even though the other age groups would not be vaccinated in proportions making it possible to approach collective immunity, so do not get the wrong target.
What action should be taken to best protect children, especially young children?
I.C. : As we say for other pathologies, it is necessary to create a family cocooning around the child. This involves the vaccination of adults but also by wearing a mask, respecting barrier gestures and finally the use of hydroalcoholic gel which people clearly use less now. You have to wash your hands regularly, avoid kissing the baby on the face … It is important to watch that children, very young or older, eat well because they are affected by covid, they are very numerous to be asymptomatic like The recent example of this summer camp that has become a cluster has shown (on August 16, 62 people, children and monitors, from the La Châtaigneraie holiday center in Le Palais in Morbihan tested positive for Covid-19, editor’s note).
At home, we are a little afraid of a fairly viral next winter in children
What to expect for the coming months? Do you watch what’s going on abroad?
: We are indeed looking at what is happening in the southern hemisphere. We are watching Australia in particular to know what to expect. For now, they don’t have the flu but again covid. In children, we are also witnessing in this country the return of bronchiolitis with a slightly more marked epidemic. At home, we are a little afraid of a fairly viral next winter in children, after a winter during which they did not catch the usual viruses. We then speak of the immune debt of children who have not had the usual viruses.
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