# Santé publique France

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

Canonical source: https://hantatracker.fr/en/glossary/sante-publique-france/

**Aliases**: SpF, Sante publique France, Public Health France, French public health agency, ANSP

**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](/en/glossary/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.