Updated 05/09/13 at 11:14
The northerner patient with novel coronavirus, SARS close, first confirmed case in France, was in stable condition Thursday but still very serious, the ICU of University Hospital of Lille, where he was transferred in the night from Wednesday to Thursday .
This 65 year old patient transferred to 1:30 in the morning, "was immediately placed in a chamber designed to allow its isolation," where he was supported by a dedicated team, said the Lille University Hospital.
The patient was hospitalized on April 23 in Valenciennes (North), then transferred to Douai April 29. He had stayed in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) from 9 to 17 April. Before his hospitalization, he was followed to the hospital in Valenciennes for a chronic disease.
According to ARS Lille, no cases of the disease have been detected in his entourage.
The man, who has respiratory failure requiring the introduction Wednesday of cardiopulmonary support to take over his lung function is in a "stable" condition, but requires "careful monitoring", according the University Hospital of Lille.
"As has been transferred, that he was in a stable condition, but it is like all ICU patients in a very serious condition," said the AFP Sandrine Segovia Kueny, Deputy Director General of ARS.
The French case comes ten years after the epidemic of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), part of China, which had killed more than 800 people and caused concern in the world.
Before the announcement of the existence of this patient in France, cases of infection were detected in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Kingdom and Germany.
About the virus, generally Benoit Guery, Head of Infectious Diseases Hospital in Lille Thursday morning confided his "concern" on France Inter, "because we find ourselves still with respiratory syndromes that have a severity important. It was still two-thirds of deaths in the number of cases. "
However, it noted the "small number of cases": "The good news somewhere, is that we are now in May 2013 (the virus) was released in April 2012 and it has still failed to emerge more significantly. "
A total of 30 confirmed cases in the world of this novel coronavirus have been reported to WHO since September 2012 and 18 people died. 22 cases including 13 deaths, have been identified in Saudi Arabia, two cases (both deceased) in Jordan, four including two deaths in the United Kingdom, and two cases with one death in Germany, had said Wednesday Dr. Françoise Weber, Director the Institute of Health.
"We must wait, we are absolutely not in a very important warning, but there is a potential danger," concluded Mr. Guery.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause a wide range of human diseases, ranging from common cold to SARS.
The new coronavirus - NCoV in medical jargon - was detected for the first time in mid-2012. This is a particular strain that had never been identified in humans or animals.
Patients presenting with symptoms of severe acute respiratory infection with fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
The Ministry of Health has set up a hotline for Wednesday, 0800 13 00 00, to inform the public. http://www.20minutes.fr/ledirect/1152337/20130509-virus-proche-sras-patient-francais-transfere-a-lille
