How many doses will France receive?
Of the 665,000 doses ordered by the European Union, France will receive 200,000, starting in the fourth quarter of 2024, as revealed by France Inter.
The European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), set up during the Covid-19 pandemic, concluded a “framework contract” to acquire these doses within four years from the British laboratory Seqirus, a market with an option for 40 million additional doses.
Each State will thus be able “order vaccines according to your needs”in order to “prevent the spread or the appearance of potential outbreaks”.
The vaccine from the Seqirus laboratory is the only one currently authorized in the EU against influenza caused in humans by H5 strains of the avian influenza virus.
“These orders were made in anticipation of the emergence of a potential new influenza pandemic and will only be used after advice from the health authorities”said the French Ministry of Health.
Who will be vaccinated?
These doses will be intended for “people most exposed” to the potential transmission of avian flu by birds or animals, such as poultry workers and veterinarians, the European Commission said in a statement.
Which states are affected?
Fifteen member states of the European Union and the European Economic Area are participating in this joint purchase.
France and Finland are part of it, but not Germany, according to the European executive, which has not communicated the complete list.
Cases of infection identified
Several people have been infected with the “A H5N1” avian flu virus in the United States in connection with an epidemic of this virus in cows, according to American health authorities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in early June the death of the first human case of avian flu linked to another strain, H5N2, in Mexico on April 24, a “multifactorial” death according to it.
The WHO on Wednesday called for strengthening the global detection network for H5N1, which has shown it can infect a large number of animal species. But no human-to-human infections have been noted.
