French news reports 20 dead due to porc flu in USA

[reggie the dog]

Source: newspaper LE FIGARO



Aucun cas de grippe porcine
en France pour le moment
B.H. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP
27/04/2009 | Mise à jour : 13:14 | Ajouter à ma sélection
Alors que quatre personnes revenant du Mexique présentaient des symptômes troublants, les analyses ont révélé qu'aucune n'était porteuse du virus. Mais les autorités appellent à la plus grande prudence.

Rassurer la population tout en appelant à la plus grande prudence, c'est la posture de la ministre de la Santé Roselyne Bachelot depuis le début de la crise. Alors qu'il n'y a plus aucun cas suspect de grippe porcine en France pour le moment, les ministères de la Santé et des Affaires étrangères ont appelé les touristes français à destination et en provenance du Mexique à se montrer particulièrement vigilants.

Pour les personnes revenant d'un voyage au Mexique, les ministères incitent à prendre contact avec le centre 15 du département (téléphone : 15) ou son médecin traitant si dans les sept jours suivant le retour les symptômes de fièvre, toux, courbatures et fatigue apparaissent. En France, les personnes ressentant de tels symptômes doivent se rapprocher immédiatement de leur médecin traitant. Plusieurs numéros d'appels sur la grippe sont à la disposition du public (0825.302.302) et des voyageurs (0145503460).

Si le bilan continue de progresser au Mexique (103 cas mortels, 1.614 malades) et aux Etats-Unis (20 cas mortels), le seul cas qui restait suspect lundi matin en France s'est avéré négatif. «Les résultats au Mexique nous incitent à renforcer notre vigilance même si, pour l'instant, les cas qui avaient suscité notre attention se révèlent être négatifs. Ce sont des cas de grippe banale et ils ne sont pas liés à la grippe porcine», a expliqué Roselyne Bachelot sur RTL.

Dans une interview au Figaro, Roselyne Bachelot a prévenu qu'«il faut s'attendre à des cas suspects», vu «l'importance des échanges avec le Mexique». Mais la France veille au grain, assure la ministre. Réunion au niveau européen, contact avec l'OMS, circulaire aux préfets, conseils aux voyageurs, mise en alerte des professionnels de santé, activation d'une cellule de crise... «Il faut appeler à la vigilance et ne pas s'alarmer, a-t-elle répété. Il n'y a aucune raison d'arrêter de manger du porc puisque le virus est extrêmement sensible à la chaleur et qu'on ne peut pas attraper la grippe porcine en mangeant un animal infecté.»

Read more: http://www.lefigaro.fr/sante/2009/04/27/01004-20090427ARTFIG00396-aucun-cas-de-grippe-porcine-en-france-pour-le-moment-.php

---

This looks terrible folks. The figures are in the second to last paragraph where it says there have been 20 cas mortels in the États Unis, 20 deaths in the USA already. What are the newspapers in the USA saying?

[stray cat]

1. 20 cases I think - not deaths - something missed in translation in the paper

[Autumn Colors]

25. "cas mortels" = deaths (fatal cases) (nt)

[hobbit709]

2. Slight difference between 20 Confirmed cases and 20 deaths

[southern_dem]

3. Something has been lost in translation

The USA has had 20 confirmed cases, but no deaths so far.

[itsrobert]

4. PANIC! The French have reported 20 US Deaths

Obviously they got their facts wrong.

[reggie the dog]

6. It is not so obvious.

This is one of the top 3 papers in France, a very respected paper at that. If they say 20 deaths most French will be inclined to believe them. As I live in France and have 2 nationalities I thought I would pass the info over to you folks. Now if the US media is saying 20 ill and the French media is saying 20 dead it is possible that there was an error in France, or the French are in the loop about a cover up going on in the USA.

[FedUpWithIt All]

17. Thank you for sharing that. I am pretty sure it is an error.

The fact that most of the cases are children leads me to believe that there would be a mighty uproar if they were trying to cover it up. Many of the kids are from the same school. There is no way that word of mouth would not be rampant if 11 kids from one school died.



:hi:

[reggie the dog]

18. cool, I will post this error possiblity on the comments of the figaro site

[JDPriestly]

15. They reported 20 deaths, but I think they meant 20 diagnoses

unless we have not been told the whole story about what is going on here. That is also a possibility. This would not be the first time that I had to read bad news about what was going on here in a foreign news source.

The Austria newspapers were the best source of information on Georgia during the campaign.

[babylonsister]

5. The papers here are saying 20 cases have been confirmed, but

no one here has died.

Maybe try a different source? In English? ;)

[reggie the dog]

8. I have. Do not forget that

many English language sources said there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that Saddam had something to do with 9-11 whereas French media did not. There is a discrepancy that must be investigated.

[babylonsister]

10. Trust me, this will be investigated, for weeks, months, years.

We are all going to be really sick (and not with flu symptoms) of hearing about this before it's over.

[reggie the dog]

11. I hope you are right

It is just that the headline article on top of their webpage said 20 dead in the USA. Hopefully this is just an error.

[get the red out]

7. I hate pandemic hysterias

I dread hearing that we are all going to die from swine flu over and over for God knows how long. Just like SARS and Bird Flu.

[reggie the dog]

9. Is it hysteria to tell you that 20 have died in the USA

according to foreign press? How many have US media outlets said have died in the USA? Why is there a difference in the numbers??

[stray cat]

23. Same number 20 just the US says cases and French say deaths

sounds like a misprint in the foreign press.

[reggie the dog]

24. I think you are correct

see, even dogs can learn from cats

[JDPriestly]

12. Although 20 people returning form Mexico presented troubling symptoms,

analysis (of tests) showed that none of them carried any virus. But the authorities are calling for great caution.

Since the beginning of the crisis, reassuring the public while calling for the highest degree of caution is the posture (or strategy) of the Minister for Health, Roselyne Bachelot. Although there are no suspected cases of swine flu in France, at this time, the Ministries of Health and of Foreign Affairs have called upon French tourists traveling to or in the proximity of Mexico to be particularly vigilant.

The Ministries are strongly encouraging people returning from travel in Mexico to call Department 15 of the Ministry (telephone number or extension 15) or their personal physician if the following symptoms appear within seven days after their return: fever, a cough, stiff or painful muscles and fatigue. Information on the flu is available to the public and to travelers at the numbers given (in the OP).

The numbers continue to rise in Mexico (103 deaths 1,614 sick) and in the U.S. (20 deaths), and the only case that remained suspicious in France as of Monday morning proved to be negative. "The results in Mexico are encouraging us to increase our vigilance even if, for the moment, the cases that had drawn our attention proved to be negative. These were cases of ordinary flu and as such are not related to swine flu," Roselyne Bachelot explained on the RTL.

In an interview for Figaro, Roselyne Bachelot predicted that we must expect some suspicious cases in view of "the importance of our exchanges with Mexico." But France is keeping an eye on the situation, the Minister assured. Meeting at the level of the European region, contacting the WHO, communicating with local governments, offering advice for travelers, alerting health professionals, activating a crisis center . . . "It is necessary to call for vigilance without alarming," she repeated. "There is no reason to stop eating pork because the virus is extremely sensitive to heat and one cannot become infected (or catch) swine flu by eating an infected animal."

[ekwhite]

13. That is 20 cases, no deaths

According to the CDC. (http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm)

[willing dwarf]

14. Apart from the incorrect attribution of death the tone of this piece is good

It seems calm, suggests prudence and going to one's physician for treatment if symptoms of fatique, fever etc appear after a trip from Mexico. -- Of course, if it has a 2 inch headline or pictures of great distress, then it would be inciting panic, but I thought the tone was calm. Or perhaps that's just the nature of French to always sound cool and in charge of one's emotions? Allons y!

[reggie the dog]

19. It is calm

It says to remain calm and that our medical authorities predict 1 deaths per 100 cases if they are not treated and far less if treatment is given.

[peacetalksforall]

16. We need to take a look at the stuff being whipped up when the news-propagandists

in this country were warning us all about avian flue and that only tamiflu would work and there was only a small supply. Remeber who profits from tamiflu sales - Rumsfeld. He is into pharmaceuticals as well as torture, invasions, bombing, phosphorous, collaborations of hateful and destructive kinds. Check it out - many articles - Gilead and Roche connection for tamiflu.

The deaths in Mexico are not something not be joked about, but perhaps he needs more money for lawyers or bribes.

Most of the deaths for the Avian flue were reported in SE Asia. This time Mexico. And isn't it amazing that the target of bigotry, presently, is against 'Mexicans' and Muslims. Mexicans is in quote, because the bigots don't know geography and they might not know how to pronounce Salvadoreans or Guatemalans , so heck, why not call them all Mexicans.

I have heard Figaro is pretty right leaning.

[reggie the dog]

20. Figaro is pretty right leaning for France

but it would pass for a center left paper in the USA, just as the right wing UMP political party is actually a bit to the left of the Democrats in the USA on most issues.

[LostinVA]

21. I wouldn't consider "Figaro" a "center left" source

[reggie the dog]

22. why not?

they are pro civil unions for gays but not pro marriage
they favor politicians who have called for depenalization of cannabis (president Sarkozy)
they favor politicians who say that the rich must pay 50 percent of their income as tax
they favor the party which was divided over the Iraq war
they favor state run health insurance with a system of private clinics in parallel.

[cwydro]

26. 20 MILD cases have been reported

in the US.

[NorthernSpy]

27. I would not trust Figaro as a source.

Seriously.

[tuckessee]

28. Which French sources are acceptable? n/t