Diphtheria in Mayotte, 2007-2015.

Epidemiology of diphtheria in the southwestern Indian Ocean is poorly documented. We analyzed 14 cases of infection with toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae reported during 2007-2015 in Mayotte, a French department located in this region. Local control of diphtheria is needed to minimize the risk for importation of the bacterium into disease-free areas.

Cost-effectiveness of a herpes zoster vaccination program among the French elderly people.

A vaccine against herpes zoster (HZ) and its complications has already proven safe and effective against infection and pain and against the related deterioration of quality of life in the elderly. In order to inform the vaccination decision-making process regarding inclusion of this vaccine in the French immunization schedule, we assessed the cost-effectiveness of several vaccination scenarios, compared to no vaccination. We chose to use a previously published Markov model.

Intensive care unit surveillance of influenza infection in France: the 2009/10 pandemic and the three subsequent seasons.

During the 2009/10 pandemic, a national surveillance system for severe influenza cases was set up in France. We present results from the system's first four years. All severe influenza cases admitted to intensive care units (ICU) were reported to the Institut de Veille Sanitaire using a standardised form: data on demographics, immunisation and virological status, risk factors, severity (e.

Monitoring the Impact of Vaccination on Pertussis in Infants Using an Active Hospital-based Pediatric Surveillance Network: Results from 17 Years' Experience, 1996-2012, France.

Background: Despite a high vaccine coverage in France in children, a resurgence of pertussis in infants too young to be protected by vaccination was observed in the 1990 s, leading to additional vaccination strategies in older age groups. This article describes the epidemiologic trends and characteristics of cases among infants 0-5 months of age during 17 years of pertussis surveillance through Renacoq.

Methods: Renacoq is a sentinel hospital-based voluntary surveillance network covering about 30% of hospitalized pertussis pediatric cases.

Impact of influenza vaccination on mortality in the French elderly population during the 2000-2009 period.

With declining influenza vaccine coverage in the elderly in recent years in France, we aimed at assessing the benefits of seasonal influenza vaccination, based on available data for observed mortality, vaccine coverage and vaccine effectiveness. To estimate the annual number of deaths avoided by vaccination in the people aged 65 years or more, we used the following three elements: an estimate of vaccine effectiveness against all-cause mortality (based on the "difference-in-differences" approach which reduces the usual bias seen in observational studies), French mortality data and vaccine coverage data. We estimated an annual average of 2000 deaths currently avoided through vaccination and a vaccine effectiveness of 35% against influenza-attributable deaths.