Highlights

The SurSaUD® syndromic surveillance system in Burgundy and Franche-Comté: review and outlook.

Originally developed in the U.S. for bioterrorism surveillance, syndromic surveillance was implemented in France following the 2003 heat wave at the request of the Ministry of Health under the name SurSaUD® (Health Surveillance of Emergencies and Deaths).The assessment of its implementation in Burgundy and Franche-Comté is the subject of a health surveillance bulletin (BVS) drafted by the Cire and posted online last week on the InVS website. This assessment shows that SurSaUD®’s objectives were achievable and notably enabled the system to respond to information requests from the ARS: by detecting unexpected events such as the health impact of the ice storm in Sens on February 2, 2011; by detecting the onset of influenza epidemics early (within three days); by monitoring conditions such as scabies, conditions related to cold or heat, and by estimating the health impact of an event such as the 2012 heat wave, while developing a partnership with emergency services and SOS Médecins.

The prospects for development are significant; they focus on new diseases and strains on the healthcare system at both the hospital and community medicine levels, and involve integrating all emergency services into the system.