According to Public Health France, Enterovirus infections are increasing, with a peak in summer. At the counter, signs must alert.
Enterovirus infections are most often benign and are accompanied by non-specific symptoms (fever, eruption, hand-to-butt, meningitis only requiring symptomatic treatment and quickly evolving towards healing without sequelae, etc.). However, involvement can lead in certain cases to neurological, respiratory, heart or severe digestive forms with hospitalization and death. This is particularly the case in newborns, in the event of a deficit in humoral immunity, in patients treated with immunosuppressants, in particular by rituximab or ocherizumab monoclonal antibody (at risk of chronic infections in enterovirus), or depending on the type of enterovirus.
However, the circulation of enterovirus has taken over since 2022. According to the France Public Health Supervisory Bulletin published on July 29, 2024 was marked by a summer epidemic of magnitude similar to that of pre-Cavid-19 years and an autumn epidemic stronger than in previous years, for an increase in cases over the year 60 % compared to 2023 (3,778 infections reported in 2024). For this year, when the epidemic season has started but remains at this moderate stage, Public Health France notes a regular increase in emergencies for viral meningitis since June.
The agency thus calls for the vigilance of health professionals. “Any fever associated with neurological symptomatology must evoke the diagnosis of infection in enterovirus and requires medical consultation”, she recommends.
The transmission of the virus is made by contact from person to person or via Contaminated objects or foods from viruses excreted in the rhino-pharynx or in the stool. Contamination by saliva, by skin lesions, or by maternity-fetal transmission is also possible. In prevention, hand washing and surface disinfection are highly recommended.
