Key finding: Surveillance of clusters of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in nursing homes

Acute respiratory infection (ARI) remains the leading cause of infection-related mortality in long-term care facilities for the elderly (EHPAD) and the leading infectious cause of hospital transfers. Outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) are also common in these facilities.

A surveillance system for ARI and AGE outbreaks in nursing homes has been in place in the region since 2010, implemented by the Midi-Pyrénées Regional Health Agency (Cire). At the regional level, this system enables monitoring of outbreak trends and associated risk factors, as well as the adaptation of control measures for these outbreaks. During the 2012–2013 season in Midi-Pyrénées, 30 ARI outbreaks and 66 AGE outbreaks were reported to the ARS. Across all these outbreaks, 669 residents (including 18 deaths) and 114 nursing home staff were affected by ARI; 1,820 residents (including 1 death) and 353 staff were affected by AGE.

Since 2005, several guidelines for managing clusters of IRA or GEA cases have been drafted by the French High Council for Public Health. The most recent available documents are:

- Guidelines for IRA in Nursing Homes, July 2012

- Guidelines for GEA in Nursing Homes – HCSP, January 2010

A set of surveillance, prevention, and management tools has been adapted to the regional context and is available on the ARS website: Specific pages on the Midi-Pyrénées ARS website