Story By: Ernest Bio Bogore, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency:  Newsflash

The French professor who claims to have found an effective treatment for coronavirus warned the government it needed to prepare for “mutant respiratory viruses” in 2003 but was reportedly ignored.

Professor Didier Raoult submitted a 372-page report on the “risk of the appearance of mutants of respiratory viruses, in particular, influenza” to the then Minister of Health, Jean Francois Mattei.

Reports state that Raoult stressed that “France’s preparation for these chaotic events is weak”.

Raoult had written: “The risk of epidemics from diseases transmitted by the respiratory tract is extremely high, due to the densification of the human population”, stressing that these are “rare, chaotic events but which can have extremely rapid and extremely dangerous consequences”.

Local media report that Raoult also warned that “rich countries” should not consider themselves immune to such viruses, even with a better-developed health system.

He said: “The human species is unique, microorganisms move and any emergence of a new pathogen in any country of the world will allow it to spread rapidly without any control at borders.”

Raoult reportedly wanted to remedy the government’s lack of preparedness by creating “infectiopoles” in France’s largest cities.

According to local media, the purpose of the ‘infectiopoles’ would have been to monitor and better prepare for infectious diseases, a parameter in which France was already lagging behind in 2003, and even today, as demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reports state that Mattei now regrets that Professor Raoult’s warning was ignored, saying: “It fell in the middle of the 2003 heatwave, which blocked certain health decisions. It is clear that Didier Raoult’s report took a back seat.”

Raoult says: “At the time, I preached in the desert and had the unpleasant impression that I was taken for a fool, but I finally succeeded in building the infectiopole in Marseille that I advised be built.”

Reports state that since 23rd March, patients have been flocking to Professor Raoult’s Mediterranean University Hospital Institute Infections to receive the malaria treatment he says is effective against COVID-19 or to be tested free of charge.

The treatment named Plaquenil, also known as hydroxychloroquine, was put forward by Raoult after he initiated a project by pitting two groups of 12 coronavirus patients against each other in the tests.

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.