French Health Minister Bachelot to EuroFora: EU cooperation on Flu Pandemic is of outmost importance

    EU had been warned to prepare "measures against a Flu Pandemic" since 2008, revealed French Minister of Health, Roselyne Bachelot to "EuroFora", stressing that, today, "EU Cooperation is of outmost importance"

    The Minister was replying to a question by "EuroFora" on whether she thought that "EU should be more pro-active in protecting EU Citizens from the new Virus" AH1N1, "since facts clearly prove that it comes from elsewhere".

    According to WHO's latest data, USA had more than 17.855 Infections and 45 Deaths, Mexico 6.241 and 108. Canada 3.515 and 6. Australia 1.823 infections. The UK 1.226 infections and 1 death. Spain 488 infections. (In fact, USA's numbers should be bigger, but it recently stopped publishing them). All other European Countries, (without UK and Spain, but including Russia), had "only" 585 infections and No Deaths. Africa had "only" 15 infections and No Deaths. Facts clearly showing that the "New" Virus had one geographic origin, but was currently threatening to spread Worldwide.

    - "The cooperation with my European collegues on this issue, is obviously a question of the outmost importance", replied the French Minister.

    - "And I must say that I had put the management of a Flu Pandemic at the 1st place, as the 1st focus during my French EU Presidency (on Health issues), and I'm (now) glad that I've made this choice at the last 3 Months of 2008", Bachelot revealed.

    - Thus, "in the framework of the European "Health Security Committee", whose powers were strengtherned during the French EU Presidency, (July - December 2008), there are meetings everyday, and we consult eachother", she observed.

    As an experienced former MEP, Bachelot had no illusions : - "At any case, we know eachother quite well, dear sir, you have questioned me many times, when I was EuroMP" in Strasbourg. "What I've ...said (is) that the necessary European convergence, at any case, was not possible (everywhere), given the cultural differences. (But) we should, naturally, search to obtain a European convergence, in all possible matters, and in particularly on Health issues".

    - "By the way, I'm just going to speak with a European collegue Health Minister, about Vaccine", she anounced.

    Curiously, informations coming both from the Eastern and Western sides of Strasbourg : Respectively from WHO at nearby Geneva, and from EU Commission at nearby Brussels, revealed that refusals to allow targetted Travel restrictiona and precautions, contrary to what France had asked, were followed by repeated Delays in the fabrication of Vaccines, reportedly because the WHO authorized Laboratory in the U.S.A. had not given earlier the Virus' "seed" to Pharmaceutical Industries.

    - "We are living in a Global Word, where People are on the move". So, "I expect that other Clusters of the flu might appear here or there" in France and all Europe. "It seems unavoidable", as things stand, Bachelot noted.

    She reminded that "Health Professionals, if they observe "Group"  cases of Flu Syndroms, they must rapidly contact the center "15" (Health Urgencies' Phone number), and report any cluster, any grouping of flu syndroms, so that we can make the necessary analysis and eventually distinguish a focus of the virus AH1N1".                    

    Meanwhile, "what was predictable, occured : We note, indeed, at Toulouse's outskirts a "cluster" of some cases, benign cases. There are a little bit of symptoms, and examined cases. Of course, such things evolve, almost from an hour to another". "We are naturally following that with great attention and interest", she said.
   
    Hopefully, the affected "Children are in Good Health. There is no problem. So, we are in the process of rendering official for some patients their return home, naturally remaining under the responsibility and supervision of the Hospital", in order to "make sure that measures of isolation, drugs and protection of their entourage, are really taken, to avoid any spreading of the virus".

       Shortly after Bachelot spoke, "grouped Flu-like, respiratory symptoms" were found at another School in a nearby village (close to Hagenau, facing German Karlsruhe-Baden-Baden Airport, open to International flights, including a British low-cost company). But 3 Labo examinations excluded any A H1N1 hypothesis. However, news from Brazil have just claimed that another, probably mutant, "new Flu", differend from "the California flu" (as they called A H1N1) appeared there. Was it due to a similar phenomenon that Hagenau "grouped flu symptoms" had not matched AH1N1's test ?... 

What a surprise to reportedly find 2 "New" Virus, of unknown yet Genetic structure, almost at the same time, only in Brazil and California (USA) and nowhere else in the World, two notorious havens for genetic experiments !.. The question whether we might face a new case similar to the deadly SARS' virus, which had escaped from a Hong-Kong Laboratory in the recent Past, was inevitably raised...

    - "Ethics join Security today", observed "Eurofora", raising 2 diffferend but related questions to the French Minister during a Press Conference on "BioEthics", while the unknown cause of "New" Virus "A" was spreading an unprecedented Deadly Flu Pandemic Worldwide, after making many victims initially in California close to an American Military Base and its Mexican borders' neighborhood, reminding the recent SARS deadly "new" virus, which killed many People in China and South Asia a few years ago, before discovering  that it was due to an erroneous Genetic Manipulation at a Hong-Kong Laboratory.

Another early warning to be more careful, both on ethics and health security, (f.ex. by developing more efficient scientific and technological oversight, previsions and safeguards) ?