Bronchiolitis 2022-2023: One of the most unexpected outbreaks over this past decade, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.

BACKGROUND

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, bronchiolitis outbreaks have been subject to disrupted seasonality, and a major impact on the healthcare system was observed in 2022-23.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this article is to describe the characteristics of the 2022-23 bronchiolitis epidemic in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, and its impact on the healthcare system.

METHOD

We described the indicators of dynamics, intensity, severity and impact provided by the bronchiolitis monitoring in place, and compared these with those from previous seasons.

RESULTS

The intensity of the 2022-23 epidemic (emergency department visits: 23 %; SOS Médecins acts: 15 %), and its impact in terms of bronchiolitis-related hospitalizations (45 %) were higher than in previous seasons (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In addition to earliness, the 2022-23 bronchiolitis epidemic was significant as regards its exceptional scale and major impact on the hospital system, requiring adaptation of the preexisting healthcare offer in response to the anticipated demand.