GrippeNet.fr, the website that allows anyone to participate in influenza surveillance is back for the fourth consecutive year.
Launched 3 years ago, the GrippeNet.fr website is back since this afternoon. Created by the Sentinelles network team and the Institut de Veille Sanitaire, this platform allows anyone to participate in influenza surveillance, anonymously and voluntarily, regardless of their age, nationality and state of health. .
Unlike traditional surveillance methods, GrippeNet.fr therefore does not go through hospitals or doctors to collect its data. An interesting approach because many people who have the flu do not consult a doctor, and are therefore not counted by surveillance methods such as the Sentinels network.
6000 participants last year
During the winter of 2013-2014, the GrippeNet.fr initiative made it possible to collect data from 4,000 participants on average per week (up slightly compared to the previous year) over a period of 5 months (from 13 November 2013 to April 13, 2014). 24% of participants reported flu-like symptoms at the time. In total, 6,000 participants tried the adventure last year.
The operation is very simple: every week, participants report any symptoms they may have had since their last connection. In return, the site informs participants of the results of the study, and gives them news about the flu and the disease situation in France.
For the new season, GrippeNet aims to set up specific surveillance of pregnant women, through the G-GrippeNet project. Vaccination has been recommended in France for pregnant women since 2012, but in practice it is difficult to assess whether the recommendation is being followed. This study will therefore make it possible to estimate this figure in a particular population, a first for the GrippeNet.fr tool.
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