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Focus on locally acquired cases of hepatitis E in FranceIn France, since 2006, the number of confirmed locally acquired cases of hepatitis E has increased significantly. In 2010, the InVS conducted a descriptive study of indigenous hepatitis E cases recorded by the National Reference Center (CNR) in metropolitan France to generate hypotheses regarding modes of contamination and sources of transmission. The objectives of this study were to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of indigenous cases of acute hepatitis E diagnosed in 2010, to detect and investigate clusters of cases, and to characterize the viruses involved in human infections. The results have just been published.In 2010, the CNR diagnosed 228 new cases of acute hepatitis E, including 139 autochthonous cases. Nearly three-quarters of the cases were men. The median age was 55 years [range 18–86]. The highest number of cases was observed in the 50–59 age group for both sexes. Two cases resided in Burgundy, and no cases were reported in Franche-Comté. The most common symptoms reported by the 139 locally acquired cases were asthenia (85%) and jaundice (60%). No clusters of cases were detected during 2010. All interviewed cases had consumed pork-based products. The results suggest that consumption of raw pork liver products is the main risk factor for hepatitis E in France, particularly in the Southeast. The public health measures implemented since 2009 remain relevant and must be strengthened, as many cases reported not cooking raw pork liver products, even though this information must appear on the labeling of these products. The limitations of this study are related to the non-exhaustive nature of the CNR laboratory network and its lack of geographic representativeness. In fact, not all cases of hepatitis E diagnosed in France in 2010 were included in this study due to a lack of samples sent to the CNR by laboratories, which likely led to an underestimation of the overall incidence.