Severe influenza cases in intensive care: surveillance begins in week 45 Each year, the InVS, through its regional unit, activates a surveillance system in week 45 and maintains it through week 15 to monitor severe influenza cases hospitalized in intensive care. The main objectives of this system are to describe the epidemiological characteristics of severe cases in order to adapt control measures as needed, and to track the weekly number of severe cases to anticipate potential overcrowding in healthcare facilities and assess the severity of the epidemic. Thus, in mainland France last winter, the epidemic report shows that the community influenza epidemic was brief (5 weeks), marked by the co-circulation of the two influenza virus types A(H3N2) and A(H1N1)pdm09. The number of severe influenza cases hospitalized in intensive care nationwide (666 cases) was comparable to that of recent seasons, with the exception of 2011–12, when it was lower. These severe cases reported nationwide, with a median age of 55 years, were primarily infected with the A(H1N1)pdm09 virus. The case fatality rate for severe cases remained comparable to that observed during the past four seasons. In Midi-Pyrénées, the number of reported severe influenza cases increased (33 severe cases last winter compared to only 7 the previous year, representing 5% of national cases compared to 1% the previous year), likely due to improved participation by the region’s intensive care units in the surveillance system. In practice, the procedure remains the same this year as last year, namely reporting to the Cire using a reporting form (sent to all intensive care units in the region) of all probable influenza cases (severe clinical form with no other identified etiology, where the clinical presentation and medical history suggest a diagnosis of influenza even if biological confirmation cannot be obtained) or biologically confirmed cases admitted to an intensive care unit in the region. We thank the region’s intensive care physicians and the virology department at Purpan University Hospital for their active participation in this surveillance system.

Ebola in West Africa: Situation Update as of November 7, 2014The WHO has changed the source of its data since its last update on November 5, 2014: from now on, epidemiological data are based on information from ministries of health and WHO regional offices. This change has led to a downward revision of the number of reported cases. In total, 13,015 cases (suspected, probable, and confirmed) and 4,808 deaths have been reported by the WHO in three West African countries (Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone). Mali reported a case imported from Guinea on October 24, 2014. No secondary transmission had been reported in the country as of November 5, 2014.