The Division of Infectious Diseases (DMI) coordinates infectious disease surveillance and early warning systems at the national level, with the objectives of supporting decision-making, providing information, and reducing the burden and impact of these diseases on the population. It conducts or participates, in collaboration with its partners, in descriptive and analytical epidemiological studies, as well as risk analyses and modeling of the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases.

The DMI works in collaboration with the agency’s other directorates, particularly the Regional Directorates (DIRe), the Directorate of Prevention and Health Promotion (DPPS), the Directorate of Alert and Crisis Management (DAC), and the Directorate of Support, Treatment, and Data Analysis (DATA). It oversees the agency’s programs on Infectious Diseases, Vector-Borne Diseases, and Healthcare-Associated Infections / Antibiotic Resistance, and actively contributes to its other programs, particularly the Vaccination and Sexual Health programs.

The DMI is organized into four thematic units responsible for surveillance, prevention, and control activities for certain infectious diseases, prioritized according to their public health implications:

• HIV, Hepatitis B and C, and Sexually Transmitted Infections Unit: its activities specifically target vulnerable populations requiring tailored surveillance, prevention, screening, and care methods;

• Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Foodborne Infections Unit: its activities cover a very broad field that regularly gives rise to epidemics or outbreaks, requiring, for control purposes, the rapid implementation of investigations to identify sources, modes of transmission, at-risk populations or practices, and the establishment of multidisciplinary surveillance systems within a One Health approach;

• Respiratory Infections and Vaccination Unit: its activities require responsiveness and regular adaptation to address seasonal epidemics and emergencies and to best guide prevention and control measures. They also enable the assessment of the impact of vaccination strategies and, where necessary, propose their adaptation;

• Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antibiotic Resistance Unit: its activities cover the three healthcare sectors (healthcare facilities, long-term care facilities, and community care), multiple pathogens, and numerous sites of infection. They contribute to improved quality of care and the control of antibiotic resistance, a major public health challenge.

Heavily impacted by epidemics or unusual events, the DMI most often intervenes to coordinate, support, and assist Regional Intervention Units (CIREs), the network of Centers for Support in the Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections (CPIAS), and health authorities in their investigations and the implementation of management measures; This support is provided on an ongoing basis through the contribution of DMI epidemiologists to the agency’s on-call system. The Directorate also contributes to national expertise on infectious diseases through its participation in several committees of the High Council for Public Health (HCSP) and other health agencies (ANSES, ANSM), as well as its contribution to transfusion risk analyses in collaboration with the EFS. Finally, it contributes to the work of the Technical Commission on Vaccinations of the High Authority for Health (HAS).

In terms of surveillance, the Infectious Diseases Directorate relies on more than 70 systems, including 32 notifiable infectious diseases and some 30 voluntary networks of healthcare professionals (clinicians, public health specialists, biologists, etc.). It benefits from the microbiological expertise of the network of National Reference Centers (CNR) for the control of communicable diseases, which it coordinates, and from the expertise of the CPias, some of which carry out national missions for the prevention and surveillance of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and RATB by delegation, which it oversees. It maintains close ties with professional societies (SPILF, SF2H, SFM, etc.) and contributes to applied research programs (Labex IBEID, ReACTING, etc.).

Finally, the DMI is heavily involved at the international level. It contributes to the activities of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in terms of surveillance, through the routine transmission of national data or participation in enhanced surveillance projects, and in terms of expertise through its epidemiologists who serve as National Focal Points or Operational Contact Points for their respective areas. These close ties with the ECDC also enable the agency to host trainees from the European Programme for Training in Field Epidemiology (EPIET). The DMI also contributes to several joint European initiatives (Vaccination, Antibiotic Resistance, and Healthcare-Associated Infections). At the international level, the DMI maintains regular collaborations with several national public health agencies (CDC, Sciensano, RIVM, RKI, etc.) and with the WHO.