The mobilization of animal health actors has paid off.
After several weeks of mobilization, the government accepted Monday, December 28 to integrate a veterinarian in the Scientific Council.
Created in March 2020 to guide the decisions of the executive during the Covid-19 epidemic, the latter is made up of doctors and researchers.
Read also: Covid-19: the Scientific Council, a very convenient shield for the executive
Loïc Dombreval, LREM deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes and president of the group on animal conditions in the National Assembly, wrote to President Emmanuel Macron on October 30 to demand that animal health professionals be associated with it.
Recalling that "
75% of emerging epidemics in humans are transmitted by animals
", he called in his letter to think about health "
as a whole
".
A trained veterinarian, the elected representative insisted on the importance of the work of animal professionals to avoid zoonoses (the passage of infectious diseases from animals to humans).
He also recalled the great habit of veterinarians to manage epidemics on large populations, in particular with avian flu, rabies or foot-and-mouth disease.
In an interview with the
Huffington Post at the
end of November, he also deplored that veterinary means had been little exploited by the health authorities at the time of the epidemic outbreak.
He cited as an example veterinary laboratories, made available to the authorities, but used to help screening for the virus with several months of delay.
“
Coronaviruses, laboratories know how to diagnose as many as there are.
For them, it's routine,
”he lamented then.
According to the response of Emmanuel Macron's cabinet to the National Order of Veterinarians, which had supported Loïc Dombreval's proposal, the president clearly saw "
the crucial role of veterinarians in understanding epidemics such as Covid-19
" and asked the President of the Scientific Council, Jean-François Delfraissy, "
to take all necessary measures
" to ensure the presence of one of them within the body.
On Twitter, Loïc Dombreval hailed an “
excellent decision
” and thanked Jean-François Delfraissy and Emmanuel Macron for their “
attentive listening
”.
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Covid-19: are we governed by the Scientific Council?