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. 2024 Jun;29(25):2400339.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.25.2400339.

An unusual outbreak of parvovirus B19 infections, France, 2023 to 2024

Camille d'Humières  1   2 , Anne Fouillet  1   3 , Laura Verdurme  2 , Stevens-Boris Lakoussan  3 , Yves Gallien  3 , Catherine Coignard  4 , Marie Hervo  5 , Anne Ebel  4 , Anaïs Soares  5 , Benoit Visseaux  2 , Bruno Maire  6 , Pierre-Henry Juan  7 , Isabelle Parent du Châtelet  3 , Jean-Paul Guthmann  3 , Julien Durand  3
Affiliations

An unusual outbreak of parvovirus B19 infections, France, 2023 to 2024

Camille d'Humières et al. Euro Surveill. 2024 Jun.

Abstract

From April 2023 to May 2024, an unusual epidemic of parvovirus B19 (B19V) infections occurred in France. The number of B19V IgM-positive serologies was four times higher than in the previous epidemic in 2019. Clinical data from emergency networks corroborated this observation. Morbidity and mortality consequences were observed in children through all data sources. In adults, the increase was only observed in laboratory-confirmed data. Physicians and decisionmakers should be informed in order to better prevent, diagnose and manage at-risk patients.

Keywords: France; Parvovirus B19; laboratory surveillance; mortality; outbreak; syndromic surveillance.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Weekly number of human parvovirus B19-related emergency consultations and B19V IgM positivity rate, children < 15 years, France, January 2019–May 2024
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of positive parvovirus B19 IgM-positive serologies and positivity rate, by population category, France, January 2019–May 2024 (n = 13,805)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Weekly number of parvovirus B19-related visits to emergency departments and emergency GPs, children < 15 years, France, W01-2019–W22-2024
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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