Headlines - The third season of GrippeNet.fr has begun!

Launched two years ago by the Sentinelles network team (a joint research unit of Inserm and Pierre and Marie Curie University) and the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), the GrippeNet.fr website (http://www.grippenet.fr) is back for a third consecutive year.

GrippeNet.fr complements traditional influenza surveillance systems, which rely on data collected from private practices and hospitals. This data enables research (at both the national and European levels) to better understand influenza: identifying risk factors, the role of age, the impact of vaccination, the spread of the disease across Europe, and more.

The purpose of the GrippeNet.fr website is to allow anyone who wishes to do so—whether sick or healthy—and residing in mainland France to participate in influenza surveillance, anonymously and voluntarily.

Last year, GrippeNet.fr had over 6,000 participants. During the season, 29% of participants reported symptoms consistent with flu-like illness, compared to 23% during the first season. These figures can be explained by the fact that the seasonal flu epidemic of the 2012–2013 winter was particularly long, as shown by surveillance data from the Sentinelles network and the InVS. Among participants reporting symptoms consistent with flu-like illness, 38% consulted a healthcare professional.

To ensure that GrippeNet.fr’s estimates are as reliable as possible, it is important that as many people as possible participate, regardless of their health status (whether they are generally resistant to winter infections or frequently ill in winter), age, occupation, etc. Please feel free to sign up and spread the word about GrippeNet.fr to your friends and family!