EPIBAC Public Health Bulletin: Surveillance of Invasive Bacterial Infections in 2020

Published on 12 April 2022 Updated on 28 October 2022

Key points

In mainland France

In 2020 compared to 2019, the following were observed:

A sharp decrease in the incidence of invasive infections caused by airborne and/or contact-transmitted bacteria: Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Streptococcus pyogenes. The incidence of invasive infections caused by these bacteria was nearly halved. This decline was likely linked to the unprecedented implementation of individual and collective preventive measures across the entire country as part of the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. For Haemophilus influenzae, this decrease did not apply to all age groups. An increase in the number of invasive infection cases was observed for the second consecutive year among children under one year of age (+20% in 2020 and +57% in 2019) and among those aged one to two years (+13% in 2020 and +29% in 2019). The increase observed in these two age groups did not apply to the other bacteria monitored by this network.
The incidence of invasive Streptococcus agalactiae infections remained stable, continuing to affect primarily newborns and, to a lesser extent, people aged 70 and older.
A decrease in the incidence of invasive Listeria monocytogenes infections, which remained within the usual range of fluctuation.

	2019		2020		2019->2020
	Incidence/100 ,000 pop.	[95% CI]	Incidence per 100,000 population	[95% CI]	Incidence ratio	[95% CI]	p
Haemophilus influenzae	1.9	[1.8–1.9]	1.1	[1.0–1.1]	0.57	[0.54–0.60]	0.000
Neisseria meningitidis*	0.8	[0.7–0.9]	0.4	[0.4–0.5]	0.53	[0.48–0.58]	0.000
Streptococcus pneumoniae	10.5	[10.3–10.7]	5.8	[5.7–5.9]	0.56	[0.54–0.57]	0.000
Streptococcus pyogenes	4.1	[4.0–4.2]	2.4	[2.4–2.5]	0.60	[0.58–0.63]	0.000
Streptococcus agalactiae	5.1	[5.0–5.2]	5.0	[4.9–5.1]	0.98	[0.95–1.01]	0.188
Listeria monocytogenes*	0.7	[0.6–0.7]	0.5	[0.5–0.6]	0.83	[0.76–0.91]	0.000

In the overseas departments and regions

Guadeloupe and French Guiana had the highest rates of invasive infections among the overseas departments and regions. Martinique showed a significant increase in the incidence of invasive infections caused by Streptococcus agalactiae; however, the reported numbers remained low.
Incidence rates of invasive infections were equivalent in the overseas departments and regions and in mainland France for Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae, but remained higher in the overseas departments and regions than in mainland France for Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus agalactiae

* Epidemiological data from mandatory reporting of invasive infections caused by Neisseria meningitidis and Listeria monocytogenes are available on the Santé publique France website: Invasive meningococcal infections and Listeriosis.

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