Respiratory illness in France
The three major respiratory pathogens side by side — influenza, COVID-19 and RSV — based on ECDC ERVISS weekly data from Santé publique France.
Current situation: Influenza
In week 13 of 2026, activity of influenza (seasonal flu) in France is low. The trend — derived from clinical surveillance — is rising. A slight upward trend has emerged over recent weeks.
The classification is based on the ECDC ERVISS weekly reports, drawing on data from Santé publique France's sentinel GP network and laboratory positivity rates. Seasonally, infection waves in France typically peak between January and March; activity is usually markedly lower during the summer months. How severe a given season becomes depends on the circulating virus variant and the population's immune status, among other factors.
Current situation: COVID-19
In week 13 of 2026, activity of COVID-19 in France is low. The trend — derived from clinical surveillance — is rising. A clear upward movement has emerged over the past few weeks.
The classification is based on the ECDC ERVISS weekly reports, drawing on COVID-19 surveillance data from Santé publique France's sentinel GP network and lab positivity indicators. Seasonally, infection waves in France typically peak during winter, with occasional summer waves driven by new variants; activity is usually markedly lower in late spring between waves. How severe a given season becomes depends on the circulating virus variant and the population's immune status, among other factors.
Current situation: RSV
In week 13 of 2026, activity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in France is low. The trend — derived from clinical surveillance — is rising. Over a four-week comparison, a clear decline is visible.
The classification is based on the ECDC ERVISS weekly reports, drawing on RSV surveillance data from Santé publique France's sentinel network and laboratory positivity indicators. Seasonally, infection waves in France typically peak between December and February; activity is usually markedly lower in spring and summer. How severe a given season becomes depends on the circulating virus variant and the population's immune status, among other factors.
Data sources and methodology
The current picture for France is built on the European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (ERVISS), published weekly by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Santé publique France is the national public-health authority that feeds ERVISS with sentinel primary care and virology data.
ECDC ERVISS
ERVISS is ECDC's weekly pan-European surveillance summary for influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV. National authorities — in France's case Santé publique France — submit harmonised indicators every week, which ECDC publishes in a standardised dataset on Thursdays. Using ERVISS rather than each country's native portal ensures cross-country comparability.
ILI / ARI consultation rates and positivity
Santé publique France operates a sentinel network of general practices that report weekly rates of patients consulting for influenza-like illness (ILI) or acute respiratory infection (ARI). A subset of patients is swabbed and tested by reference laboratories, producing pathogen-specific positivity rates for flu, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV.
Why this source
Combining consultation incidence with virological positivity yields a pathogen-specific weekly incidence signal (ILI × positivity / 100). This is the standard European methodology and provides a more robust view than either indicator alone — consultation rates capture illness burden, positivity confirms which pathogen is driving it.
Qualitative classification
The “low”, “moderate” and “high” categories follow seasonal reference values and epidemiological thresholds calibrated to match our classifications for other countries. The ILI × positivity / 100 product is scaled to comparable thresholds using a divisor of 3, which aligns European sentinel peaks with the consultation-equivalent scale used elsewhere. Data refreshes weekly when ECDC publishes the latest ERVISS update, typically on Thursdays.
Frequently asked questions
How is overall respiratory-illness activity tracked in France?
Santé publique France publishes a weekly Bulletin infections respiratoires aiguës summarising flu, COVID-19, RSV, and other pathogens. The picture is built from SOS Médecins, OSCOUR, SIVIC, sentinel virology via Réseau Sentinelles and GROG, and variant analysis by the national reference centre. France also feeds into the ECDC ERVISS platform. On infectrisk.com we condense this into a qualitative low/moderate/high classification.
Did France experience a “tripledemic”?
“Tripledemic” is a media label for the simultaneous winter circulation of flu, COVID-19, and RSV, first widely discussed during the 2022–2023 season. France saw clear co-circulation of all three pathogens that winter, with substantial pressure on paediatric wards due to bronchiolitis and on adult critical care. Co-circulation has recurred each winter since, though the relative intensity of each pathogen varies.
Why do respiratory illnesses peak in a French winter?
The drivers are consistent across temperate regions. Many respiratory viruses remain stable longer in cold, dry indoor air, and heated buildings reduce humidity in ways that weaken airway defence. People mix indoors more during winter, schools amplify transmission among children, and end-of-year gatherings accelerate spread. Immunity to seasonal strains is also typically at its lowest just as exposure rises.
What is “immune debt”?
“Immune debt” describes the observation that, after prolonged low circulation of a pathogen — for instance during strict non-pharmaceutical measures in 2020 and 2021 — population-level immunity declines and subsequent waves can hit harder. French paediatric bronchiolitis seasons in 2021 and 2022 were unusually severe, consistent with this effect. It is a temporary catch-up phenomenon rather than a permanent immune change.
How does Santé publique France decide that activity is “high”?
Santé publique France uses thresholds derived from historical surveillance data. Current indicators — sentinel consultations, OSCOUR visits, SIVIC admissions, positivity rates — are compared against baselines from past non-epidemic weeks and against severe-season reference points. When several indicators cross into elevated ranges at the same time, the weekly bulletin flags activity as high, and France's ERVISS contribution uses the same framework for cross-country comparison.
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