Highlights

Each year, the Regional Unit of the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance in the Limousin and Poitou-Charentes regions publishes surveillance data on notifiable diseases for the Limousin region. Surveillance of foodborne illnesses contributes to the implementation and evaluation of measures aimed at preventing these events and, thereby, to food safety. This health surveillance bulletin presents the regional reporting data for 2012 received by the InVS for foodborne illnesses and zoonoses.

The number of reported outbreaks of foodborne illness (Tiac) increased in the Charente-Maritime department and decreased in Vienne in 2012 compared to 2011. A significant proportion of shellfish and seafood were identified as the source of foodborne illness outbreaks, higher than the national average. The annual trend in hepatitis A reports appears to be linked to the occurrence of epidemics. The year 2012 was marked by a hepatitis A epidemic in the Vienne department, primarily affecting the traveling community. Vienne ranked 5th among French departments with the highest annual incidence rate of reported hepatitis A cases in 2012.

It is important to raise awareness among potential reporters in the Poitou-Charentes region regarding the reporting and notification of MDOs in order to take more effective action and prevent the risk of epidemics. Higher-quality data also allows for better analysis of these diseases and the adaptation of public health policies to the needs of the population.