ewsletter - Entente Cordiale Creuse

Page 8
From our Health Correspondent:
Get your EU Healthcard online
Anyone covered by the French healthcare system should pick up a CEAM card
before they visit the UK, or anywhere else in Europe, for a holiday. This can be
done online. The CEAM (Carte Européenne d’Assurance Maladie) is the French
equivalent of the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) which is the
replacement of the E111. You could pick up a CEAM (one needed per individual,
including children) by taking your carte vitale to your nearest CPAM office
(Caisse Primaire Assurance Maladie), or you can order online at : www.ameli.fr
This is quite simple to do:
Click on Assurés, then the blue tab vos services en ligne.
Underneath the list vos démarches you will find number 3: demandez une
carte européenne d’assurance maladie.
Mine arrived through the post in under a week – they promise within 15 working
days.
Please Note
The above applies if you already have an E121 (i.e. receiving a state pension from UK or you are employed
in France.) If you have an E106 (temporary cover in France) the situation is a little more complicated.
Some CPAM’s will agree to issue CEAM’s, others will not. But holders of the E106 who have been refused a
CEAM should apply to the UK authority, enclosing a photocopy of their E106 to:
EHIC Applications, PO Box 1115, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE99 1SW.
The Year of the Tick – Beware!
Doctors are warning that 2008 is turning out to be one of the worst years on record for tick bites.
Ticks are blood-feeding parasites that are often found in tall grass and shrubs where they will wait to attach
to a passing host. Physical contact is the only method of transportation for ticks. Ticks do not jump or fly.
Many ticks carry the extremely unpleasant Lymes disease. Lymes is transmitted to humans by the bite of
infected ticks. Early symptoms of infection may include fever, headache, fatigue, depression, and a
characteristic skin rash called ‘erythema migrans’. Left untreated, symptoms may to develop to affect the
joints, heart, and nervous system. In the majority of cases, symptoms can be eliminated with antibiotics,
especially if diagnosis and treatment occur early in the course of illness. Late, delayed, or inadequate
treatment can lead to late manifestations of Lyme disease which can be disabling and difficult to treat.
The Limousin is the second worst affected area of France falling just behind the Alsace. The weather and
the environment of the area combine to provide a perfect breeding ground.
Doctors advise avoiding walking in long grass where possible and going straight to the doctors if the area
around the bite develops a reddish rash. Ticks must be removed using the specially designed tick removal
hooks that are readily available to ensure that the head of the creature is completely removed.
A Word of Warning………….
Several people, members and non-members of our Association, have drawn our attention to a French man
who speaks good English, offering his translation services free of charge to non-French speakers. Then he
demands payment and sends nasty anonymous letters. If you are approached, are already in this situation
or know anyone that is, please phone David or Dominique Johnson on 05 55 89 14 61 or 05 55 89 16 54