News as of January 26, 2012

Mandatory Reporting of Mesotheliomas

As of January 16, 2012 (Decree No. 2012-47), mesotheliomas have been added to the official list of notifiable diseases in metropolitan France and overseas territories. Any new case of mesothelioma, regardless of its anatomical location (pleura, peritoneum, pericardium, etc.), must now be reported to the Regional Health Agency (ARS) by any pathologist or clinician who makes the diagnosis. This mandatory reporting requirement, included in the 2009-2013 Cancer Plan, complements the surveillance provided by the National Program for the Surveillance of Pleural Mesotheliomas (PNSM), which currently covers 23 metropolitan departments. It does not replace the occupational disease reporting system. The notification form can be downloaded from the InVS website. For more information: http://www.invs.sante.fr/Dossiers-thematiques/Travail-et-sante/Mesotheliome/Commentnotifier-cette-maladie

Launch of GrippeNet.fr A new online influenza surveillance system, GrippeNet.fr, allows anyone to participate in influenza surveillance in France on a voluntary, anonymous, and unpaid basis. The data collected provides real-time information on the influenza situation in France and helps study how the disease spreads.