The Sentinel network, a collaborative surveillance system developed by Inserm and Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC), is made up of 1,300 primary care practitioners, and approximately one hundred independent pediatricians, spread over mainland France. The network is coordinated by the “Transmissible Diseases Surveillance and Modeling” team at the Inserm and UPMC Pierre Louis Epidemiology and Public Health Institute (iPLESP), in collaboration with the French National Public Health Agency (ANRS) and Santé Publique France (French Public Health Agency). The data are transferred in real time, based on 9 health indicators. Analysis of these data thus makes it possible to estimate the weekly incidence rate for each indicator, and to monitor changes at national level.
According to the weekly Sentinel network newsletter dated December 13, 2017, the incidence rate for cases of acute diarrhea is above the epidemic threshold (188 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). According to the Sentinel network, it is still too early to talk about an epidemic, strictly speaking, and the level of activity for acute diarrhea should remain stable in the next few weeks.
The Sentinel network states that the highest incidence rates for acute diarrhea have been observed in the Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur, Pays de la Loire, and Hauts-de-France regions.
On the other hand, influenza syndrome, until now well below the epidemic threshold, has increased from 19 cases, to 98 cases per 10,000 inhabitants. The highest incidence rates have been observed in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Brittany, and Centre-Val de Loire regions. The Sentinel network, which now comprises a new instrument for detecting influenza epidemics developed with Santé Publique France (French Public Health Agency), indicates a marked increase in influenza activity in mainland France.