Key Developments as of February 6, 2012

• According to information available to date, 637 cases of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning have been reported to the surveillance system since September 1, 2011, including 54 cases between January 23 and February 5, 2012. Since September 1, 2011, 2,096 people have been exposed to CO fumes, 369 of whom were hospitalized.

• Since January 28, 2012, a cold snap has been sweeping across France. According to information available today from the surveillance system, supplemented by data from the daily civil protection bulletin reporting the most recent cases of poisoning—particularly those occurring over the weekend of February 4—55 reports of CO poisoning have been recorded, including 14 that occurred on February 4. Sources of poisoning, such as generators, outdoor heaters/barbecues, and portable space heaters, accounted for part of this increase.

• Current weather conditions have led Météo-France to issue an orange alert for extreme cold or snow and ice in most departments. Given the increased risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, INPES has developed specific prevention messages, notably relayed through behavioral guidelines added to these alert maps by Météo-France: Never use combustion-based space heaters continuously; never use stoves, braziers, etc., for heating; if you must install a generator, it must be placed outside buildings; do not block the air intakes in your home.

• These safety messages were widely disseminated by the regional health agencies (ARS) through press releases and radio broadcasts of INPES safety messages.