Category: Health

FROM today, 1 May, it will cost an extra €2 to visit your doctor in France as the price for a standard consultation is now €25.

The price increase has come after a long period of discussions between medical associations and government, although there has been no increase for the past six years and representatives of the profession said they’ve not seen the price fixed for so long in over 30 years.

Parents with young children will also see a price rise for a child under six, with the cost increasing to €30 for a visit.

It is also possible to store your medical details in a secure service from the French authorities, take a look over how Mon Espace Santé lets you manage health data.

IT is now compulsory for children under-12 when cycling with an adult to wear a helmet, including when a child is sat on a seat on the back of a bicycle.

Adults face a fine of €90 otherwise, and helmets with the CE quality mark are required bearing the NF EN 1078 numbering.

More on the Sécurité Routière website.

WITH the hot summer temperatures now gone, and mild autumn weather upon us, there is an increased risk of ticks as they take a last run through the forests before winter sets in.

In France ticks are most common between May and October when temperatures are between 7 and 25°C, but with the summer sun in July and August they are fewer in number, now they will be back.

Ticks can pose real dangers to your pets prompting diseases such as leishmaniasis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and heartworm which can prove fatal to your pets so precautions should be taken.

Related: Map shows where ticks are found in France

It is possible to buy Frontline spray-on and spot treatment that can be applied to cats and dogs, make sure your pet doesn’t try and shake it off once applied.

But also make a habit of looking over your pet for the distinctive tick, there is a larger black variety and a small red coloured one.

Learning how to stay clear of ticks yourself and safely unhook them from your skin is an important skill to have, because they can pass on Lyme disease, which can see people suffer flu-like symptoms for a long period of time.

The UK-based Lyme Disease Association works to raise awareness amongst doctors of the symptoms and offers advice and tips on the illness.

Here are some tips you can use next time you are out in the forest and long grass:

– Wear light-coloured clothing that shows ticks easily and covers arms and legs. Wear long-sleeved shirts, tight at the wrists, long pants tight at the ankles and tucked into socks, and shoes covering the whole foot.

– Apply diethyltoluamide (e.g., DEET) to skin and permethrin to clothing. But do not apply it to clothing while it is being worn, and allow the clothing to thoroughly dry before wearing.

– Perform daily checks of skin for ticks. Check children two to three times a day. Check under waistbands, sock tops, under arms and any other moist areas.

– Use a tick removal tool that are available from vets and pet shops that are designed to be twisted to facilitate removal.

– Suffocating the tick with oil, cream etc. may induce injection of more infectious material into the body, so do not use petroleum jelly, burning matches or cigarette ends, nail polish or other products.

– Be aware that engorged ticks will contain potentially infected blood, which may splatter when crushed. Do not crush the tick with your fingers and do not allow the crushed tick or the blood it carried to contact your skin.

ALTHOUGH the spring sunshine is welcomed by many, it is not greeted as warmly by those people who suffer from hay fever.

Le Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique (RNSA) website is a useful stop for hay fever sufferers as there are guides and regular updates available.

There are historical records for towns and cities across France enabling you to spot when pollen levels are at their highest.

For up to the minute advice and possible high levels in the coming few days there is a carte de vigilance, which at the moment is highlighting risks in the south of France.

One feature of the RNSA website that could prove particularly useful is a weekly email service that allows you to choose up to three départements and get updates to your inbox about pollen level risks.

A STUDY of children living close to agricultural areas in France found many had been exposed to a dangerous cocktail of pesticides.

Générations Futures found that an average of 21.52 distinct pesticides were found in each child; 35 endocrine disruptor pesticides were found at least once, while 13 types of pesticides were discovered in all the hair samples.

The hair of young people living or studying near farms and vineyards were taken as samples after parents expressed worries about their children being exposed to poisons.

The organisation accepted that it has used a small sample size, but said more needed to be done at a national and European level.

“The presence of more than 21 pesticides, on average, that are endocrine disruptors in the hair that was analysed shows that our children are exposed to a significant cocktail of these substances,” said François Veillerette, spokesperson for Générations Futures.

“Now the European commission must finally publish a clear and protective definition of the endocrine disruptors that have to be banned.”Générations Futures said the French government’s plan to deal with endocrine disruptors had come to a halt, with an initial publication date in 2013 long past and supposedly a new date set for the end of April.

THE European Environment Agency (EEA) has released detailed findings on the quality of EU bathing water, with 93% of sites meeting the minimum standards.

In France, 87.1 % of the coastal bathing waters met the mandatory water quality in 2012, an increase of 1.4 % compared to the previous year.

While for inland bathing water 87.1% of locations met the mandatory water quality standards for 2012, a decrease of 5.7% compared to the previous year.

A total of 34 bathing waters (2.6 %) were non-compliant with the mandatory value for Escherichia coli compared to 23 in 2011, which is an increase of 0.8 %.

The EEA collects samples before the start of the holiday season and monthly during the summer, from May to September.

Laboratory tests are carried out which look for certain types of bacteria that could indicate the presence of pollution, primarily from sewerage or livestock waste.

The EEA data is extensive, covering more than 22,000 sites, but a table is available online that enables you to drill down to individual locations.

YOU can keep ahead of pollen levels in France thanks to the Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique (RNSA) website.

One feature of the RNSA website that could prove particularly useful is a weekly email service that allows you to choose up to three départements and get updates to your inbox about pollen level risks.

And the pollen levels of individual towns and cities can also be checked, they can be found to the right hand side of the page, with an estimate of forthcoming pollen levels plotted on time graphs.

BRIDGET Megarry is suffering from terminal cancer. Her plan was to retire to the Lot region of south west France with her husband, but all her plans have now changed.

From her home in Dublin, Bridget writes about what she has learned from her illness and to raise awareness of how important it is to donate blood and request that samples are considered for the bone marrow transplant bank.

During her time in the Lot, the local office of Cancer Support France provided assistance to Bridget and has stayed in touch with her back in Ireland.

Bridget’s piece first appeared in a special supplement within the Irish Times that dealt with life threatening illnesses.

A few months ago I had a medium- to long-term future, but now I don’t – and coming to terms with that has brought many challenges, writes Bridget Megarry.

There have been many articles in this supplement written by people who have been diagnosed with life-threatening illness. They have, without exception, been courageous, brave and inspirational.

However, as far as I know, few, if any, of the writers have dwelt on the thorny truth that for some of us, there are no cures and with the diagnosis comes the reality that we are beginning our final journey towards death.

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A MAP is available online that highlights the areas of France deemed zones vulnérables to the presence of nitrates within ground and surface water.

Nitrate levels are related to the agricultural practices in an area, and in France around 55% of farmland is considered vulnerable to increased pollution.

The EU’s Nitrate Directive of 1991 provides a framework to identify polluted water and to put measures in place to help farmers improve practices and reduce pollution levels.

EU member states have to provide reports on nitrate concentrations every four years, and the French map covers observations made in 2010-11, with the updates made last year.

The areas of France susceptible to high nitrate levels are the river basins of Adour Garonne, Loire Bretagne, Rhône Méditerranée and Seine Normandie.

The updated map has seen the addition of more than 1,400 communes, with 18,400 communes considered at risk from nitrate pollution, however, 617 communes have improved and been taken off the map.

Related: Natural risks in France

WITH the festive period quickly approaching the Alcoholics Anonymous France South West Intergroup offer some support and details on how you can attend meetings conducted in English in France.

Promise me you won’t drink so much this Christmas. You always spoil it for everyone, especially the kids. You made a complete idiot of yourself last night – you embarrassed everyone.

Have you ever heard those words said to you, or perhaps you’ve used them yourself to a friend or family member?

Christmas is a wonderful time for anyone who might be drinking too much already. Why? Because they don’t have to try to hide the amount that they are drinking.

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