A health risk watch-and-stand committee, which follows the Covid-19 scientific board, is starting to take shape. The name of the president became known by the decree of the RA president Official Gazette appeared on August 17, and it was Pr: Brigitte Otran, who was elected to lead this new body. This committee wanted by the government “will exercise an expertise and advisory role independent of health authorities “, the two custodians, the Ministries of Research and Health, jointly explain. Bringing together 16 scientific figures and two representatives of patients and citizens, it should be launched from the beginning of the academic year. But its composition is still in progress.
“The scientific council wanted to create this commission, and it was created, I can only be happy. As for Bridget Otran, she is a very good person., comments Jean-Francois Delfras, the former president of the Scientific Council, soberly. Renowned doctor and scientist Bridget Otran has a profile reminiscent of P.’s profile.r: Delfrays, also an immunologist specializing in AIDS. He began his medical career at the beginning of the disease epidemic and devoted much of his research to HIV immunology.
He also directed the Infection-Cancer-Immunity Program at Federal Research Institute 113 and recently participated in the Sars-CoV-2 Vaccine Strategy Steering Committee. Chatted ParisianBrigitte Autran explained that she consulted with Jean-Francois Delfracy to form her team. The role of an adviser, which the latter denies. “We do have discussions right now, but Bridget Otrant doesn’t need me to know who to surround her with.“, he decides. In its latest report published on July 19, the Scientific Council asserted a “Necessary dialogue between the two committees in the summer of 2022”. .
The role of health monitoring
It is true that the missions of the two structures seem very close. “Guide the actions of the government on a scientific basis”.summarizes Brigitte Outran Parisian while emphasizing that the Health Risk Watch and Watch Committee has “another one” compared to the scientific council, because it was created not in a time of crisis, “but above the next”. And it’s really a health watchdog role that he needs to provide. A joint press release from the Ministries of Health and Research, published discreetly on July 31, listed the specific missions of the new committee.
It can be read that the commission is responsible, among other things “Providing a Scientific Mission on These New Health Risks”, “model the data collected as part of its scientific mission and make predictions” and: “make recommendations when a screening reveals a health risk”.
“It’s interesting to see modeling and forecasting moving forward after what we’ve been through the last few years.. Our work and that of our colleagues was first used to justify the first detention, then widely misunderstood and finally ignored for a year.says Mircea Sofonea, a professor of epidemiology and evolution of infectious diseases at the University of Montpellier.
Prediction of health risks
The researcher stresses that he works, like his colleagues, independently of the health agencies and authorities, to whom he provided models of the epidemic without compensation for months. “I don’t know who will do the modeling for this committee, but we are coming out of this crisis without increasing our research resources more than before, but we need to develop more sophisticated methods to adapt to the ever-increasing number of parameters. this epidemic and all this costs time and money”the scientist notes.
Unless you’re retired or have a lot to do, I really don’t see who would benefit from going to this commission.
Professor Philippe Frogel, Geneticist, Professor at Lille University Hospital and Imperial College London
The task of the Health Risk Monitoring and Prediction Committee is more difficult because its missions are not limited to infectious diseases, but also include health risks from animals, environmental pollutants and infectious agents affecting food, as well as climate change. A great program for scientists who, in addition to their professional responsibilities, must carry out this mission a priori on a voluntary basis. “Unless you’re retired or have a lot to do, I really don’t see who would benefit from being on this committee. Even more so, seeing how it was for the members of the scientific councilevaluates Pr: Philippe Frogel, geneticist, professor at Lille University Hospital and Imperial College London. For such a thing to work, a real majority is needed and not to repeat the same mistake as in the case of the scientific council, where especially there were very few non-medical scientists. Although the deadline is not officially announced, the Committee should be operational from the beginning of the academic year.
Source: Le Figaro
