Highlights from the Midi-Pyrénées Regional Health Surveillance Center - Annual Report of the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance

In 2011, the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) continued its work to produce results and expanded its capabilities to continue fulfilling its missions of alerting the public and monitoring the health status of the population.

Although France did not experience any major health crises in 2011, the InVS was nevertheless particularly mobilized by the outbreak of Escherichia coli (E. coli) infections that developed in the Aquitaine and Nord-Pas-de-Calais regions. The Institute was also involved at the European level in identifying the strain responsible for the outbreak that occurred earlier in Germany. In 2011, the InVS continued its efforts to monitor the measles outbreak, which has been on the rise in France since 2008.

As it does every year, the Institute produced numerous findings in the service of public health. Among them, the conclusions of the European Aphekom project were published after three years of work. This project, coordinated by the InVS, aims to assess the health and economic impacts of urban pollution in 25 cities across 12 European countries, representing 39 million inhabitants. Its findings thus contribute to the revision of European air quality legislation expected in 2013.

To fulfill its missions, the Institute needs to diversify its data sources. In 2011, the InVS opened up new possibilities in this area by gaining access to the full scope of the Health Insurance databases.

Finally, the InVS has strengthened its regional presence with the finalization of agreements governing collaboration between the Interregional Epidemiology Units (Cire)—the InVS’s regional representatives—and the Regional Health Agencies (ARS).