Swine flu in Val Thorens
Saturday November 21, 2009 - Email this article to a friend

The children are all reported to have recovered and the school has re-opened.

The French Education Minister, Luc Chatel, has  said that a free vaccination program for 12 million children in kindergartens and primary and secondary schools will be offered from 25 November and a nationwide vaccination is scheduled to start very soon.

It is the second ski resort in France that has been affected as Megeve suffered an outbreak last summer and 27 pupils at a summer school were treated. We mentioned it here on PlanetSKI within  this artilce about a large outbreak at a school in Verbier.

With the advent of winter there are more cases of swine flu though in Switzerand there appears to be a lukewarm response to the offer of vaccination from the government.

In the Val Thorens incident the child was admitted to Moutiers hospital down the valley.

Last year the hospital was criticised by several national British newspapers for giving inadequate care to injured skiers and having a lack of bed-space.

The scene isn't so different in the summer with mountain biking accidents. In 2008 PlanetSKI reader, Martyn Clatworthy, was there for 5 days after a mountain biking crash.

"The care was second to none, but it's easy to see that on a winter's day staff and services would become overrun by patients," he said.

Skiers and Snowboarders are urged to carry their European Heath Insurance Card, formally called the E111 card at all times on the slopes as this can severely reduce costs should one end up in hospital.  

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