Abstract
Since World War II, a tradition of fighting infectious diseases had proven its worth in stopping chains of contamination and controlling diseases. Contradicting this tradition, the choices made in France regarding the COVID-19 pandemic failed to prevent deaths and protect the most exposed populations. Workers, in particular, are the victims of this failure. Based on the experience of tuberculosis control, this article shows that another strategy is not only possible, but crucial to overcome such epidemic.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Thébaud-Mony
A.
Besoins de santé et politique de santé – analyse des travaux de l’OMS 1974-1978. Deux études de cas : tuberculose , nutrition et politique de santé en Algérie et au Québec (Health needs and health policy – an analysis of the work of WHO 1974 –1978 . Two case studies : tuberculosis , nutrition and health policy in Algeria and Quebec). Doctoral Thesis (Letters and Human Sciences). Paris: Université R. Descartes, Paris V Sorbonne, 1980 .
2.
Mitchinson
DA.
Wallace Fox Obituary. Medical researcher who revolutionized the treatment of TB, The Guardian , 4 April 2010 , https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/apr/04/wallace-fox-obituary (accessed 26 July 2020).
3.Pierre Chaulet . Stratégies de lutte antituberculeuse (anti-tuberculosis strategies). Encyclopédie Médico-chirurgicale 1984 ; 6019 A 31, 11: 1–8.
4.WHO , Declaration d’Alma Ata. International Conference on Primary Health Care, Alma-Ata, USSR, 6–12 September 1978 , https://www.who.int/publications/almaata_declaration_en.pdf (accessed 9 August 2020).
5.
Banerji
D.
Reflections on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Alma-Ata declaration . Int J Health Serv 2003 ;
33 : 8013 –8018 .
6.
Gillam
S.
Is the declaration of Alma Ata still relevant to primary health care? BMJ 2008 ;
336 : 536 –538 .
7.Archie Cochrane . Effectiveness and efficiency: random reflections on health services. Report on randomised controlled report , Nuffield Trust, https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/research/effectiveness-and-efficiency-random-reflections-on-health-services (1972, accessed 2 August 2020 ).
8.
Morawska
L
Milton
DK.
It is time to address airborne transmission of COVID-19. Clinical Infectious Diseases, ciaa939 , https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa939; https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa939/5867798 (2020, accessed 2 August 2020 ).
9.
Lindsley
WG
Blachère
FM
Burton
NC
, et al .
COVID-19 and the workplace: research questions for the aerosol science community . Aerosol Sci Technol . 2020 ; 1 –7 . DOI: 10.1080/02786826.2020.1796921.
10.Collectif de responsables politiques, syndicalistes, & al. Tribune : Pour l’indépendance de l’Inspection du Travail et la réintégration immédiate d’Anthony Smith (Tribune for the independence of the Labor Inspectorate and the immediate reinstatement of Anthony Smith), Libération , 27 April 2020, https://www.liberation.fr/debats/2020/04/27/pour-l-independance-de-l-inspection-du-travail-et-la-reintegration-immediate-d-anthony-smith_1786532 (accessed 26 August 2020 ).
11.Association Henri Pézerat . Soutien à Anthony Smith (Support for Anthony Smith), https://www.asso-henri-pezerat.org/soutien-a-anthony-smith/ (accessed 8 August 2020 ).
12.
Portes
T.
Petition to Muriel Pénicaud, Minister of Labor: Abandon des poursuites contre Anthony Smith (Drop the charges against Anthony Smith). Change.org , https://www.change.org/p/muriel-pénicaud-abandon-des-poursuites-contre-anthony-smith (accessed 26 August 2020 ).
13.French Ministry of Labor . Suivi medical renforcé (Reinforced medical follow-up) Code du travail art.R.4624–23, https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCode.do;jsessionid=095D8141F8E9CBFF98FA1A268CED8885.tplgfr38s_1?idSectionTA=LEGISCTA000033769090&cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006072050&dateTexte=20200816 (accessed 14 August 2020 ).
14.
Grolé
L.
Des salariés de Carrefour Vitrolles exercent leur droit de retrait ([Carrefour] Vitrolles employees exercise their right of withdrawal) . France Bleue Provence , https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/economie-social/des-salaries-de-carrefour-vitrolles-exercent-leur-droit-de-retrait-face-a-la-peur-du-coronavirus-1585571351 (2020, accessed 16 August 2020 ).
15.Association Henri Pézerat . Renault doit suspendre aujourd’hui sa reprise d’activité (Renault must cease its operations reopening), https://www.asso-henri-pezerat.org/renault-sandouville-doit-suspendre-aujourdhui-sa-reprise-dactivite/ (accessed 2 August 2020 ).
16.
Delaporte
L.
Tests COVID 19: Les labos de santé animale réclament d’être réquisitionnés (Animal health labs are demanding to be requisitioned). Mediapart , 29 March 2020, https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/290320/tests-covid-19-les-labos-de-sante-animale-reclament-d-etre-requisitionnes (accessed 15 July 2020 ).
17.OECD . Testing for COVID 19: a way to lift confinement restrictions, https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/view/?ref=129_129658-l62d7lr66u&title=Testing-for-COVID-19-A-way-to-liftconfinement-restrictions (2020, accessed 20 May 2020 .)
18.Stéphane Foucart & Stéphane Horel . Dépistage du coronavirus: les raisons du fiasco français sur les tests (Coronavirus screening: the reasons for the French testing fiasco), Le Monde , https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2020/04/24/nous-attendons-d-etre-contactes-par-l-ars-mais-il-ne-se-passe-rien-le-fiasco-des-tests-en-france_6037647_3244.html (2020, accessed 24 April 2020 ).