Latest news with #YannickNeuder
Telegraph
23-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
French told to take more naps... but also work more
France has called for the mass adoption of the siesta just days after its prime minister said people must work more to avoid the country going into bankruptcy. The French are envied the world over – and sometimes chided – for their right to long holidays, a 35-hour working week and the ' right to disconnect ' from office-related communication, now a law. Yet despite such measures to ensure a healthy work-life balance, the French are not getting enough sleep at night and should thus take more naps in the day, France's health ministry has insisted. This week, it launched a 25-point 'roadmap for quality sleep' whose centrepiece is promoting the siesta both in schools and in the workplace. 'I am very much in favour of napping, whether at work or at school,' said Yannick Neuder, the French health minister, who unveiled the plan on Tuesday. While stopping short of issuing siesta decrees, the minister said he would push employers to set up break areas or quiet zones to encourage 15 to 20-minute power naps in a drive to improve concentration, reduce stress and limit the risk of accidents. That includes a 'quiet label', which identifies areas in schools, libraries, businesses, shops and restaurants that 'promote well-being, relaxation and even naps'. 'Studies have shown that French people's sleep has decreased by 1.5 hours in 50 years and that almost 50 per cent of French people complain of poor sleep quality,' said Mr Neuder while presenting his plan. 'And we know that poor sleep has an impact on health, both mental health – more stress, depression, etc – and physical health, with more obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease,' he added. The average French adult sleeps seven hours a night, and one in five sleeps less than six hours. Cited causes include excessive screen time, irregular lifestyles, noise, poor housing and the aftermath of Covid. 'Quiet time' The plan will also target schools where 30 per cent of children and 70 per cent of teenagers sleep less than the recommended amount, according to studies cited by the ministry. Without shaking up school timetables, it encourages teaching staff to incorporate 'quiet time tailored to pupils' biological needs'. But the call for more siestas comes just days after the prime minister François Bayrou appealed to the French to end decades of denial and accept that ' the French do not work enough '. In particular, Mr Bayrou, the centrist at the head of the minority government since December, declared war on malingering as part of his drive to 'reconcile the French with work' and salvage the country's debt-ridden state coffers. The French absentee level is one of Europe's highest and about double that of Britain and the United States. The cost is estimated at up to €80 billion, more than the state education budget. France has fewer people working than its neighbours and spends the most on benefits, 'yet the French are increasingly dissatisfied with their public services and we are the most pessimistic country in the world', Mr Bayrou said in a speech presenting his cost-cutting package last week. Inspectors found that half of all people on long-term medical leave of 18 months lacked justification, the prime minister said. France has seen a 40 per cent rise in absenteeism over the past five years in the private sector, with almost 6 per cent of employees off sick at any time. The figures are even higher for the state sector, which accounts for more than 20 per cent of the workforce and saw a 79 per cent rise in public servant sick leave between 2014 and 2022. The prime minister's austerity plans, which include scrapping two public holidays, prompted outrage from opposition parties across the political divide, and polls suggest that 60 per cent of the public oppose them.
Local France
27-06-2025
- Health
- Local France
MAP: Will your part of France be a priority for more doctors?
France's long-standing problem of ' deserts medicaux ' (medical deserts) where there are severe shortages of healthcare professionals, especially GPs, has inspired many different plans. The latest one is to require GPs to do outreach work in areas with a doctor shortage - and now the government has unveiled a list of the priority areas for this type of help. On Friday the health ministry unveiled a list of 151 'priority' areas judged to have the worst problems with healthcare access. Advertisement The below map is from the French health ministry , but French regional newspaper Ouest France has created an interactive and zoomable version which you can find here . Map of the 151 priority areas for extra doctors. Map: French health ministry In total around two-thirds of the country has some problems with healthcare access, but these 151 are judged to be the top priority. These are the areas which will, from September 1st, benefit from the 'solidarity' scheme, in which GPs will be required to do a certain number of days of outreach work per month in designated medical deserts. They have also been earmarked as priority areas for the first cadre of newly-qualified doctors who have come through medical school since training places were expanded. They will begin to qualify from November 2026. Yannick Neuder, the minister responsible for access to healthcare, told BFM TV: "With this map, which identifies 151 priority inter-communities for access to healthcare, we're not solving medical deserts, since they affect 87 percent of the country, but it's a first step that will benefit around two million patients. He said that the list was created due to work 'carried out with local préfets, regional health agencies, local elected representatives and healthcare professionals, to identify particularly badly affected areas." READ ALSO : What to do if you live in one of France's 'medical deserts'✎
Fox News
27-06-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Butcher shops close as E. coli outbreak kills 12-year-old girl, hospitalizes 21 children
A 12-year-old girl died and at least 21 children were hospitalized after an E. coli outbreak that was likely caused by contaminated meat, prompting the closure of six butcher shops in France, officials said. Signs of severe food poisoning, including bloody diarrhea, first emerged on June 12 near the city of Saint-Quentin in northern France. In total, 22 children and one elderly person have been treated and 10 of the patients were still hospitalized as of Wednesday, according to officials in the Hauts-de-France region. The girl died on Monday, June 16. "I would like to express my deepest sympathy and solidarity with the family of the deceased girl," Health Minister Yannick Neuder said in a post Sunday on X. "To her loved ones, I extend, on behalf of the French government, my most sincere thoughts." Initial tests determined the outbreak was caused by E. coli likely from meat consumption, he told Radio France Internationale (RFI). Nine of the patients developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a rare condition caused by a certain type of E. coli bacteria, according to a news release from the local prefect's office on Wednesday. E. coli is a type of bacterium found in the environment, foods and intestines of people and animals, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While most varieties of E. coli are harmless, some strains, which can be contracted through contaminated food and water, can cause severe cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. One serious strain is Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), which can lead to HUS, typically among children and the elderly, and cause kidney failure, permanent health problems — even death. About eight in 10 children with HUS have a STEC infection, according to the CDC. There have been 1,624 HUS cases and 38 deaths from it in the U.S. in recent decades, according to the CDC's most recent data, which spans from 1997 to 2021. Some of the hospitalized patients in France received dialysis, which filters waste and excess fluid when the kidneys are not functioning. "Once somebody has the symptoms of hemolytic uremic syndrome, there's really no therapy other than supportive care," said Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, the chief of pediatric infectious disease at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "Antibiotics are not going to work. We don't have an antidote." "The way to keep these outbreaks under wraps, or at least to halt the progression, is a robust public health system." Kahn, who is not involved in the care of the patients in France, called HUS a "nasty" disease and said he has seen children receive kidney transplants and come into renal failure as a result of it. It has spread in the U.S. as a result of chopped meat and apple cider, he noted. "The way to keep these outbreaks under wraps, or at least to halt the progression, is a robust public health system," Kahn added. "The investigators are key." Investigations by several government offices into the origins of the outbreak in France are ongoing, according to the prefect's office, and test samples from six Saint-Quentin-area butcher shops, which have been preemptively closed, are expected to open next week. The poisoned individuals had eaten meat traced back to the six shops, according to preliminary investigations. "As part of these investigations, all leads are being explored, analyzed and reported back to ensure that no possible source of contamination is ruled out," the prefect's office stated. Neuder urged people not to panic. "The idea is not to cause panic," he told RFI. "It is still possible to eat meat." Fox News Digital reached out to the health minister's office for comment. For more Lifestyle articles, visit Officials reminded residents that symptoms linked to E. coli can appear within 10 days of eating contaminated food. They cautioned that meat from some of the butchers had been served at two sporting events and a school fair as recently as June 22. They additionally warned people not to consume meat bought from those butchers after June 1, to clean their refrigerators thoroughly if they have purchased any and to prevent transmission by handwashing. "The good news is, there's a lot we can do in the kitchen to help prevent E. coli infections and lower the risk of HUS," Jessica Gavin, a certified food and culinary scientist from California, told Fox News Digital. "I always make sure to cook meat, especially ground beef and poultry, to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit, wash my hands well after handling raw ingredients and keep raw and cooked foods separate to avoid cross-contamination."
LeMonde
30-05-2025
- Health
- LeMonde
In Côte d'Ivoire, the dangerous rise of the alcoholic beverage Vody
Letter from Abidjan Caffeine, taurine, lots of sugar, and 18% to 22% vodka. While people in France have only recently discovered Vody – a budget version of the vodka Red Bull cocktail – popular among young people, especially those of Caribbean descent and the West African diaspora, the drink has long been a staple in Côte d'Ivoire. The government even banned its importation into Côte d'Ivoire in October 2023 after the so-called "Gaddafi" trend, in which young internet users filmed themselves swallowing Tramadol, a powerful painkiller, washing it down with large amounts of Vody. The combination led to incidents among some of Abidjan's most underserved youth. Despite news reports and articles, the drink's popularity has shown no signs of waning. This has raised concerns for French Health Minister Yannick Neuder, who addressed the issue on May 21, speaking in the Assemblée Nationale after a question from Guadeloupe MP Olivier Serva. Calling Vody a "real scourge," Neuder condemned "extremely aggressive marketing targeting our youth, with impacts on their health, including cardiovascular and neurological effects," and said he was considering banning the product, or even pushing for European-level regulation.
Local France
27-05-2025
- Health
- Local France
How serious is France's obesity problem?
There's a popular misconception abroad that obesity is not a problem in France - whole books have even been written on this subject (such as the famous French Women Don't Get Fat). In reality, however, not only is it a problem but one that the government considers requires a whole new campaign to tackle. The French government on Monday announced plans to present an "obesity plan" in September 2025, which intends to address the health issue at several levels, including in education, health, sporting and medical contexts. The junior health minister, Yannick Neuder, announced the plan alongside the health minister, Catherine Vautrin, during a visit to the production site of Danish pharmaceutical group, Novo Nordisk, in Chartres. Weight loss drugs The full details of the overall obesity plan will be revealed in September, but making the announcement the ministers referred to possible changes in the rules around weight-loss drugs in France. Neuder referenced several possible ideas to tackle obesity in France, including expanding the power of general practitioners to prescribe two forms of weight-loss medication: Wegovy and Mounjaro. While these medications have been available in French pharmacies since the end of 2024, only doctors who specialise in endocrinology, diabetology, and nutrition can prescribe them. Neuder said the goal would be to allow GPs to prescribe these medications "before the summer". Currently, the medications are not reimbursed by French social security, costing around €300 per month. However, France is in the process of negotiating prices for possible reimbursement, according to Le Monde . Ozempic - which is a semaglutide like Wegovy/Mounjaro - can be prescribed by French GPs, but only to patients with diabetes. It is reimbursed by social security. But how serious is the issue of obesity in France? Despite stereotypes about French women never gaining weight and the healthiness of the French diet, obesity is a growing concern in France. READ MORE: Myth-busting: Are these 12 clichés about France actually true? Nauder noted the need for the plan, as "obesity is a major cause of cardiovascular diseases, which cause 140,000 deaths in France per year." Advertisement As for the numbers, a study from 2020 by researchers from Inserm and Montpellier University Hospital found that 47 percent of French adults were overweight, with more men (36.9 percent) than women (23.9 percent) affected. Obesity differs from being overweight ( surpoids ). French health authorities define it as a BMI (body mass index, or l'indice de masse corporelle, IMC in French) over 30. In contrast, being 'overweight' is classified as having a BMI between 25 and 30. According to the French health site Ameli , between 1997 and 2020, obesity significantly increased. In 1997, 8.5 percent of adults were affected by obesity. As of 2020, that number had risen to 17 percent (17.4 percent of women and 16.7 percent of men). Advertisement Demographics and geography Since 1997, obesity amongst young people (aged 18 to 24) has increased more than fourfold, and among 25-34-year-olds it has increased nearly threefold. During his speech, Nauder noted that "metabolic diseases, diabetes and obesity affect almost 20 percent of French children and adolescents". People living in northern and north-eastern France are also most affected by obesity, with rates above 20 percent in these areas, in contrast to the Paris region and Pays de la Loire, where rates are below 14.5 percent. Obesity levels are also higher amongst low-income groups. The Inserm study found that blue-collar workers ( ouvriers ) had an obesity rate of 18 percent, while 'managers' ( cadres ) had an average rate of 9.9 percent. How does France compare to other countries? Comparison can be tricky, as some countries' data is newer than others, but overall, in comparison to the United States and the UK, France has a lower average obesity rate. In the US, based on a study from August 2021 to 2023 by the CDC , 40.3 percent of adults were considered to be obese. Meanwhile, in the UK, the government reported that based on data from 2022 and 2023, 26.2 percent of adults were living with obesity. Amongst the EU member states, France has historically been among the countries with comparatively lower rates of obesity and overweight. Based on available BMI statistics from 2022, France was among the three countries (along with Italy and Switzerland) with the lowest share of overweight people. According to the World Health Organisation's European obesity report (based on data from 2016), Turkey, Malta and the UK had the highest rates of obesity. France was further down the list, with lower rates of obesity than the EU Member state average and below the EU 14 average.
