Virological Surveillance of Acute Respiratory Infection in Primary Health Care in Metropolitan France

Every year in the fall and winter, numerous respiratory viruses (such as influenza viruses, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), RSV, rhinovirus, and metapneumovirus) circulate in mainland France, causing acute respiratory infections (ARIs). These viruses can cause epidemics of varying severity, requiring close monitoring to determine their circulation levels and adapt public health measures accordingly. In France, ARI surveillance relies on two networks: the Sentinelles network in primary care and the RENAL network in hospitals. The Sentinelles surveillance is conducted in collaboration with Santé publique France, the National Reference Center for Respiratory Infection Viruses (Institut Pasteur and Hospices Civils de Lyon), and the University of Corsica. As part of the virological surveillance of ARIs, Sentinelles physicians are asked to collect nasopharyngeal swabs or saliva samples from a sample of patients presenting with an ARI during their clinic visits. This surveillance makes it possible to identify respiratory viruses circulating in primary care (general practice and pediatrics), to describe confirmed cases for each of the circulating viruses, and to estimate the impact of each on general practice. This surveillance also allows for the evaluation of the effectiveness of vaccines against influenza and COVID-19.

NCT Number	NCT07599449
Lead Sponsor	Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France
Conditions	Respiratory Tract Infections (RTI), Influenza -Like Illness, Influenza, COVID - 19, RSV Infections, Rhinovirus Infection, Metapneumovirus Infection
Enrollment	25,000 participants
Start Date	2026-05-14
Primary Completion	2031-05-14 (estimated)
Study Completion	2031-05-14 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-08-03