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Some French departments have already exceeded the epidemic threshold of gastroenteritis in recent weeks. The disease should soon hit all of France.
> Another month before the peak
For the moment, the epidemic peak has not been reached at the national level. But the epidemic can not be avoided. According to Public Health France: "Every year in France, as in all European countries, there is a winter epidemic of acute viral gastroenteritis (…) .The increase in the number of consultations for GEA is usually observed between December and January with a peak , most often during the first two weeks of January ".
> Nearly one in three French people could be affected this year
Each outbreak of gastroenteritis is unique and its intensity depends on multiple factors. Moreover, the disease being benign in most cases, many patients do not go to the doctor, which makes it difficult to establish precise figures. According to Public Health France, the number of consultations varies each year between 700,000 and 3,7 million.
However, a study conducted on the 2009-2010 period has estimated that 21 million people contract it each year in metropolitan France, all seasons combined. Almost one third of the French population.
> It kills several hundred thousand children a year
Diarrhea is one of the world's leading causes of child mortality (with pneumonia) worldwide, mostly in poor countries of sub-Saharan Africa. These diarrheas would kill 450,000 children under five each year. Their causes are diverse, often related to the lack of access to drinking water, but more than a third of these deaths are caused by rotavirus gastroenteritis.
See: Gastroenteritis arrives in France, epidemic threshold reached in two regions
> The epidemic threshold is not fixed
Those who wait for the arrival of the epidemic will have noted that the famous "epidemic threshold" changes from one surveillance network to another and especially from one week to another. It is indeed a mathematical formula that takes into account many elements to define a number of patients from which we can speak of epidemic. It takes into account the season.
Thus, the epidemic threshold of gastroenteritis will be higher in winter, when it is normal that the number of cases is greater.
> The gestures to avoid it
In order to avoid being contaminated, InVS recalls that "the hands are the most important vector of transmission of enteric viruses and, therefore, hand hygiene is essential (water and soap, or hydro-alcoholic product)". As for those who are already affected, "the best prevention of complications of acute diarrhea is early rehydration with oral rehydration fluids".
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