French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (Institut de Veille Sanitaire - InVS) focuses on infectious and chronic diseases, environmental and occupational health, international health and tropical diseases, and injuries. Activities include:

• Collecting and analyzing population health data for epidemiologic purposes, working with the public and private partners who make up the national public health network
• Collecting, analyzing, and updating knowledge about health risks and threats
• Informing the Minister of Health as soon as possible of any threat to the health of the population or any population group, whatever the origin of this threat, and recommending appropriate measures or actions to prevent it or reduce its impact
• Managing emergency health situations

Created in 1964, National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherché Medicale - INSERM) is the successor of the National Institute of Hygiene founded in 1941. With 13,000 employees, INSERM is the only French public research body entirely dedicated to human health. Its researchers are committed to studying all diseases, whether common or rare, through their research in the fields of biology, medicine and public health. For a number of years, INSERM has acted as an independent scientific expert for decision-makers working in the field of public health (government departments, agencies, national health insurance, associations, etc.)

INSERM helps to assemble international scientific and medical knowledge, collect expert reports, and provide the scientific information required for decision-making in the fields of treatment, screening and prevention. Staff also help identify public health needs in terms of basic, clinical and therapeutic research. Synthesis of the research derived from the various expert reports is crucial for making recommendations in the various disciplines for INSERM’s scientific community.