Ministers confirm swine flu reaches France
France today reported its first two cases of swine flu, while another is still to be confirmed.
Speaking on TF1 television, French health minister Roselyne Bachelot said the patients, a 49-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman, both recently returned from Mexico. They have been hospitalised at two Paris hospitals and are “doing well”, she said.
Ms Bachelot also said another patient hospitalised at a third Paris hospital was likely to have the virus, but it has not been officially confirmed yet. Bachelot said all three had received anti-viral treatments.
She said the “form (of the virus) in our country appears benign” but did not rule out that the French cases could prove more serious. “This virus has killed (people) in Mexico ... therefore we must take all necessary precautions.”
French authorities are tracking down people who came into close contact with the three patients.
Bachelot said France has a stockpile of 33 million doses of anti-virals, meaning it has treatments for roughly half the nation’s population.
French health officials have developed a test that allows them to diagnose the virus in a matter of hours, Bachelot said. It had previously taken doctors several days to confirm the diagnosis.
