Patrick Balkany alerted the Ministry of Health “urgently” to cases of Ebola identified in France, according to his medical sources which he describes as “reliable”. Info strongly denied by the DGS.
“Patrick Balkany’s assertions are not only false, but they are above all irresponsible”. This is the scathing response made by the Ministry of Health to the UMP mayor of Levallois-Perret. In a written question to the Minister of Health, Marisol Touraine, repeated on his blog Monday, the deputy for the 5th district of Hauts-de-Seine, said that several cases of people infected with the Ebola virus have been reported in France. Taking this information from a “reliable” medical source, according to him, the politician therefore wanted to turn into a whistleblower.. But the elected official still refuses to give the origin and the name of his “medical sources. “. But above all, the Ministry of Health has just brought a sharp denial point by point to Mr. Patrick Balkany.
Screening of travelers before boarding
Contacted by the editorial staff of why actor, the Directorate General of Health (DGS) wished to reassure the French among whom concern is mounting. “To prevent the virus from spreading outside the areas currently affected, specific preventive measures have been taken by the countries concerned, but also by the French health authorities”, indicates the DGS.
Among them, at the level of countries affected by the virus, Management recalls that screening of travelers “is carried out by caregivers, before boarding, at airports in countries at risk. ”
In addition, she underlines that the preventive measures taken in France “also consist in taking charge very quickly of any suspected case of return from a country at risk, in order to be able to isolate him very quickly and take charge of him under appropriate conditions. optimal. “So difficult to pass through the cracks, believes the DGS.
All suspected patients were excluded
And suspicious patients, specialist care units have apprehended several in France since the start of the Ebola hemorrhagic fever epidemic which still rages in West Africa (1,013 deaths recorded since March 2014). “These are people who have returned for less than 21 days from one of the countries where the FHV Ebola virus circulates and who have a fever of over 38 ° 5 C”, explains the DGS. “But fortunately, all of them turned out to be negative. “” Some because they were excluded thanks to the biological analyzes, others because the doctors quickly realized that they were suffering from a simple flu or more often from malaria. “
In addition, the Ministry of Health also indicates that France has so far not encountered any “possible” case of Ebola, that is to say people who also return from a risk area, but present in addition a severe clinical form worrying for doctors (vomiting, throat irritation, diarrhea, kidney failure …). But above all, these patients are more feared by health authorities “because they have been potentially exposed to sick people infected with the Ebola virus”, specifies the DGS.
Ebola: a notifiable disease
Finally, the General Management insists once again that there is for the moment “no confirmed case of Ebola on the national territory. “And the press service of the DGS, we insist:” Trust us, even if we do everything to ensure that this does not happen to us, we will be the first to communicate if this scenario occurs. And doctors too because it is a notifiable disease because of its dangerousness. Failure to report it is extremely dangerous and endangers the life of others. “
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