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French health authorities have today broadened the definition of “possible cases“infections with the new coronavirus, to take into account the evolution of data from China and minimize the risk of spread on the territory.
This definition is used to guide health professionals to know for which patients it is necessary to carry out additional examinations, in order to check whether they have been in contact with the virus which contaminated more than 20,400 people and left 425 dead at this day in mainland China.
The “exhibition area“considered at risk now extends to”all of china“, instead of the only province of Hubei, epicenter of the epidemic, and the”clinical signs have been clarified“to include people with”a feeling of fever“, and not necessarily a temperature above 38 ° C actually observed, said the Director General of Health Jérôme Salomon.
Will thus be considered as “possible case“infection”anyone with clinical signs of acute lower respiratory infection, regardless of severity, with fever or feeling fever, and having traveled or stayed in China within 14 days of the start of clinical signs“according to the updated definition”validated by Public Health France“.
Are also still considered “possible cases“people very exposed to the risk of contagion, as soon as they have an acute respiratory infection high or low, even without fever and whatever its severity.
This case applies to people who have been in close contact with a confirmed case (relatives sharing the same living space, office neighbors, neighbors in public transport …), subject to the same exposure risks as a case confirmed or having worked or stayed in a hospital where a case has been confirmed.
These criteria are addressed to carers responsible for classifying patients according to their level of risk, in particular the doctors of the Samu responding to calls to the emergency number “15”, he added.
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