France - H1N1

France keeps H1N1 alert level at 5A, despite WHO declaration

Article published on the 2009-06-12 Latest update 2009-06-13 10:14 TU

French Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot addressing the H1N1 issue, Paris, 12 June 2009
(Photo: Reuters)

The health ministry said on Thursday that the H1N1 "swine flu" virus was not spreading actively in France, and so it would keep the alert level in the country at five, despite the World Health Organisation raising it to six globally.

Also, the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis announced on Friday that it will have an H1N1 vaccine ready by autumn.

The ministry said that since the end of April, 80 cases of H1N1 had been confirmed in France. 68 of them were in travellers, it said, and 12 in people in "very great proximity" of people having returned from other countries.

Health Minister Rosylene Bachelot said that experts "unanimously confirmed that the [worldwide] situation did not mean" that France should increase its national alert level from 5A to 5B or six.

5B is meant to indicate a true epidemic.

Meanwhile, in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis said that it had finished producing the first batch of an H1N1 vaccine weeks ahead of its original expectations.

This batch is intended for testing and perhaps clinical trials, the company said.

It said it hopes that the drug will be licenced this coming autumn.