French Health Minister François Braun. — © AFP
France has activated an emergency plan for all hospitals in the country due to a serious wave of respiratory diseases in babies and young children. There has not been such a high number of hospital admissions in ten years due to a bronchiolitis epidemic, Health Minister François Braun said.
Gilles LiesenborghsBron: BELGIAN
Under the emergency plan, all regions are now receiving increased assistance to support nursing staff and ensure care for children and families. The northern half of France has been particularly affected. Bronchiolitis, like bronchitis, is a respiratory disease that mainly affects infants.
Last week alone, 6,891 infants and babies under the age of two came to the emergency room with bronchiolitis in France, health authorities reported. 2,337 people were hospitalized, of which 95 percent were younger than one year.