High incidence of pneumonia cases observed in children seen in general practice consultations during the 2023–2024 season, France

Abstract

Abstract Background An increase in hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae was reported in France in late October 2023. Data in primary care are scarce and microbiological or radiological investigations are not routinely recommended for community-acquired pneumonia. Methods We computed weekly incidence rates of pneumonia and bronchiolitis cases from the electronic records of French general practitioners from January 2016 to August 2024. These weekly incidences were described in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, overall and by age group. For better interpretation, the weekly incidences of pneumonia and bronchiolitis were compared with virological surveillance data of acute respiratory infections observed in general practice. Results During the 2016–2024 period, 108,539 cases of pneumonia and 46,411 cases of bronchiolitis were identified from 51,351,414 consultations. The incidence of pneumonia consultations in general practice during the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 seasons is similar to that observed before the Covid-19 pandemic, after two seasons of low incidence (2020–2021 and 2021–2022). However, the 2023–2024 pneumonia epidemic is the strongest ever observed in children (0–14 years, and especially among the 5–14 years) in general practice since 2016, with an earlier onset. Regarding the incidence of bronchiolitis in children, the 2023–2024 season was in line with the 2021–2022, 2022–2023 and pre-pandemic seasons. No abnormal circulation of classical seasonal viruses was observed during the 2023–2024 season. Conclusions The sharp increase in pneumonia cases observed this season among children in primary care settings requires the implementation of studies to understand the cause and to confirm or refute the possible association with M. pneumoniae as observed in hospitals. Given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the circulation of pathogens, it would be useful to extend, even on a temporary basis, the traditional microbiological surveillance in primary care to include common bacterial pathogens affecting the upper and lower respiratory tract, such as M. pneumoniae, S. pneumoniae or Streptococcus A.