"Une grippette" (a harmless little flu), as the esteemed Professor Débré so memorably and so irresponsibly dismissed the H1N1 virus in July.
Not any more.
H1N1 swine flu killed 23, put 121 in ICU and sickened 730 000 in the last week alone in France, according to Le Figaro.
Vaccination centers, understaffed and poorly organized, are overwhelmed with two to four hour waits and inexplicable closings.
The Minister of Health calls undervaccinated medical personal, especially nurses and support staff, "the principle source of hospital infections during flu epidemics". (See The reasons behind France's Swine flu fiasco*.)
France has decided to switch to one vaccination instead of two for people over nine.
Respiratory infections are at record highs, and the seasonal flu season has not yet officially begun.
The spread of conspiracy theories, however, may now finally be on the decline.
* "la ministre de la Santé, en soulignant que «le personnel soignant non vacciné est, selon plusieurs études, la source principale des contaminations nosocomiales durant les épidémies de grippe».
