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Glossary · Institutions

Santé publique France

The French national public health agency, created in 2016. Surveillance, alert and intervention on health threats facing the French population.

Also called : SpF, Sante publique France, Public Health France, French public health agency, ANSP Institutions

Santé publique France (SpF) is the French national agency charged with protecting the population's health. Created in 2016 by merging three pre-existing agencies (InVS, INPES, EPRUS), it is the scientific and technical operator of the Ministry of Health. SpF aggregates the French data on the MV Hondius hantavirus episode and reconciles it with WHO and ECDC bilans.

Creation and missions

Merging three agencies (2016)

The Health System Modernisation Act of 26 January 2016 consolidated into a single agency:

  • the InVS (Institut de veille sanitaire — epidemiological surveillance),
  • the INPES (National Institute for Prevention and Health Education),
  • the EPRUS (Establishment for Preparation and Response to Health Emergencies).

Goal: centralise surveillance, expertise and crisis preparation within a single operator, directly supervised by the ministry.

Five main missions

  • Surveillance: epidemiological, environmental, virological.
  • Health alert: trigger reporting to the ministry and health authorities.
  • Prevention and health promotion: public health campaigns (vaccination, addiction, nutrition).
  • Crisis preparation: strategic stockpiles, response planning.
  • Public health research: impact studies, epidemiological methodology.

Role in the MV Hondius episode

Counting French cases

Santé publique France centralises notifications of cases, contacts and hospitalisations in France. At the 12 May 2026 press conference with Minister Stéphanie Rist, director general Caroline Semaille clarified that the 11 global cases of the MV Hondius cluster were all PCR-positive and that France saw "no evidence of diffuse circulation of the virus".

Contact follow-up

The agency works with the Regional Health Agencies (ARS) to monitor contact cases identified on French territory — notably the 22 contacts of the two key flights (Saint Helena → Johannesburg on 25 April and Johannesburg → Amsterdam the same day) hospitalised at Pitié-Salpêtrière, Rennes University Hospital and Marseille University Hospital.

Articulation with WHO and ECDC

SpF transmits its data to WHO and ECDC, which integrate them into their European and international bilans. Any gap between bilans (for example on the confirmed/probable classification) usually reflects update lag between agencies, not disagreement on the epidemiological reality. WHO currently keeps a 9-confirmed + 2-probable classification while SpF has reclassified the cohort as 11 confirmed.

How to consult SpF data

Reference publications

  • Bulletin épidémiologique hebdomadaire (BEH): open-access scientific reference journal.
  • Géodes: interactive data visualisation tool.
  • Press releases and épidémio briefs: published along the health news cycle.

Direction and governance

The agency's board includes representatives of the State, Health Insurance, local authorities, health professionals and users. The director general is appointed by decree. Caroline Semaille has held the role since 2023.

Key figures

Standards & references

Frequently asked questions

What is Santé publique France?

Santé publique France (SpF) is the French national public health agency, created on 1 May 2016. It operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Health. Its mission is to protect the French population's health: epidemiological surveillance, health alerts, prevention, health promotion, preparation and response to crises. It consolidates the expertise of three previous agencies (InVS, INPES, EPRUS).

Who runs Santé publique France?

The director general is Caroline Semaille, a public health physician appointed in 2023. She spoke at the press conference of 12 May 2026 alongside Minister of Health Stéphanie Rist on the French bilan of the MV Hondius episode: '11 PCR-positive cases worldwide, all cruise passengers or crew of the ship'.

How does SpF differ from the Ministry of Health?

The Ministry of Health sets public health policy and makes political decisions (laws, decrees, recommendations). Santé publique France is the scientific and technical operator: it produces data, monitors diseases, alerts the ministry, and formulates recommendations. The Directorate General of Health (DGS) is the administrative arm of the ministry, in charge of disseminating DGS-Urgent bulletins to health professionals.

How does SpF monitor outbreaks?

SpF combines several systems: mandatory disease notification (DO) by physicians, the Sentinelles primary-care network, hospital surveillance (Oscour system), virological surveillance (National Reference Centres), wastewater surveillance, and international intelligence. When an alert fires, the agency publishes a weekly bulletin (Bulletin épidémiologique hebdomadaire) and can activate a crisis cell with the DGS and the Regional Health Agencies (ARS).

Further reading