Headlines - GrippeNet Surveillance: Sign Up!

The surveillance system aims to collect epidemiological data on the flu directly from the French public via a personalized and secure online account at https://www.grippenet.fr/. Grippenet.fr thus helps supplement surveillance data, which currently comes only from healthcare systems and does not account for sick individuals who do not seek medical care.

You don’t need to be sick to participate; the important thing is to report your health status weekly. After completing a questionnaire detailing their profile, participants are invited each week to fill out a brief questionnaire summarizing the symptoms they have or have not experienced since their last login (fever, cough, etc.). This anonymous data is immediately analyzed and contributes in real time to influenza surveillance in France. The larger the number of participants, the more scientifically relevant the study’s results will be.

A summary of the 2013–2014 season is available on the website. It presents the participants’ profiles and health status, as well as a summary of participants’ satisfaction with their participation in GrippeNet.fr.

A total of 5,920 people participated over the 5-month follow-up period (from November 13, 2013, to April 13, 2014). The majority of participants were women (61%); the most represented age group was 60–69 years old, with no health issues (80%). The three most common conditions among participants were heart problems, asthma, and diabetes.

Regarding vaccination, 27% had received a flu shot (compared to approximately 20% in the general population). Among the participants, 24% had experienced symptoms consistent with flu-like illness at least once

In terms of care, 42% reported having consulted a healthcare professional (general practitioner, pharmacist, emergency room physician, or specialist), and only 2% planned to do so.

Nearly 70% of participants who completed the satisfaction survey rated this surveillance as very satisfactory, and 98% of them wished to participate in GrippeNet.fr again this season.