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Our surveillance measures
From detecting novel pathogens to modeling outbreaks, the Institut Pasteur plays a central role in infectious disease surveillance in France and worldwide.
The Institut Pasteur has a unique infrastructure that enables it to act as a sentinel for the protection of human health, with 14 National Reference Centers and four CNR-associated laboratories, eight WHO Collaborating Centers, a Laboratory for Urgent Response to Biological Threats (CIBU) available 24/7, and teams specializing in epidemiology and modeling.
A long-standing public health mission
Public health is one of the Institut Pasteur’s founding missions. We harness our scientific expertise to monitor infectious diseases, understand their evolution, prevent them from spreading and improve treatment.
National Reference Centers (CNRs): sentinels to anticipate and monitor health threats and issue alerts
The Institut Pasteur hosts 14 National Reference Centers (CNRs) in Paris and Lyon, and four CNR-associated laboratories in French Guiana. These expert laboratories are designated for a five-year period by the French Ministry of Health, forming a nationwide system for effective surveillance and control of communicable diseases.
Each CNR specializes in an infectious agent or group of diseases, such as Listeria, rabies, respiratory viruses (like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza), hantaviruses and viral hemorrhagic fevers. They serve as epidemiological observatories, precisely identifying circulating pathogens, monitoring how they evolve (the emergence of variants or antibiotic resistance) and immediately alerting the health authorities of any unusual phenomena or epidemic risks.
Their work is based in four main areas:
• expertise in microbiology, the pathology of infectious agents and their sensitivity to anti-infectives;
• contributing to epidemiological surveillance by monitoring the evolution and characteristics of infections;
• immediately alerting Santé publique France and the Health Minister of any situations that may have an impact on public health;
• Advising public authorities, health safety agencies and health professionals.
In the course of their work, the CNRs liaise with an extensive network of national and international partners:
• public and private medical test laboratories;
• physicians in the Sentinelles network;
• Santé publique France;
• regional health agencies (ARS in France);
• research laboratories and organizations (Inserm, CNRS, ANSES, etc.);
• industrial laboratories;
• NGOs.
Most CNRs are members of European networks, like the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), or international networks. Eight CNRs are currently World Health Organization Collaborating Centers.
The CNRs work closely with the Institut Pasteur's Laboratory for Urgent Response to Biological Threats (CIBU – see below).
The CIBU – an emergency biological laboratory available 24/7
The Institut Pasteur has a unique infrastructure for tackling unexpected biological risks: the Laboratory for Urgent Response to Biological Threats (CIBU).
The CIBU, available 24/7, is capable of responding to microbiological emergencies and rapidly identifying a wide range of pathogens (bacteria and viruses), especially during unusual health events or disease outbreaks.
The CIBU has three complementary units:
• the Bacterial Identification Unit (PIB);
• the Viral Identification Unit (PIV);
• the Pathogen Genotyping Unit (PGP).
Modeling and epidemiology to guide decision-making
Our scientific expertise, including our ability to sequence infectious agents, analyze large quantities of biological data and use mathematical modeling to evaluate epidemic dynamics, can anticipate the evolution of disease outbreaks and inform public decision-making.
Our genomics and sequencing core facilities are a key tool in genomic pathogen surveillance.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institut Pasteur's teams were involved in modeling the circulation of the virus, estimating the number of cases and monitoring the emergence of variants, providing health authorities with essential data to guide their response.
More recently, the Institut Pasteur also helped model the seasonal influenza outbreak in mainland France.
Nationally and globally, the Institut Pasteur is on the front line in responding to health crises
The Institut Pasteur's health surveillance activities are embedded in France's wider health strategy, including in its overseas territories, and are also part of an international dynamic.
- Harnessing the Pasteur Network to monitor infectious diseases in multiple countries
The Pasteur Network, which has partnerships with health authorities worldwide, enables us to take direct action in areas of disease emergence, share knowledge quickly and strengthen local capabilities for dealing with health crises.
Find out more about
- European Union Reference Laboratories
The European Union designates EU Reference Laboratories (EURLs) in public health to support national laboratories in harmonizing their practices. The role of EURLs is to promote best practices in diagnostics, testing and surveillance and to standardize notification of cross-border health threats on a voluntary basis.
Three EURLs currently include Institut Pasteur laboratories:
• EURL-PH-DIPE – Diphtheria and Pertussis
• EURL-PH-ERZV – Zoonotic and Emerging Viruses
• EURL-PH-RESVIR – Respiratory Viruses
- Observatories and networks for epidemiological surveillance
The Institut Pasteur's teams also co-lead observatories and networks for epidemiological surveillance in France and worldwide to monitor major threats such as respiratory viruses, arboviruses and emerging diseases.
This ability to remain rooted in the French ecosystem while being open to the world is a key strength.
Ebola and plague: two emblematic examples of crisis response in the field
Recent health crises have demonstrated the effective synergy between the CNRs and the CIBU.
During the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, the Institut Pasteur played a key role in rapidly identifying the virus and alerting the international community.
The CNR for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers confirmed that the virus belonged to the same family as Ebola, while the CIBU identified precisely that Ebola Zaïre, the most virulent strain, was responsible for the outbreak.
The teams then traveled to Guinea to set up diagnostic laboratories, analyze thousands of samples, develop a rapid test and train up local healthcare workers. These efforts eventually led to the establishment of the Institut Pasteur de Guinée to strengthen epidemic surveillance and response capabilities over the long term.
In 2017, when a pneumonic plague outbreak hit Madagascar, teams from the Institut Pasteur in Paris stepped up to provide support for the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar in dealing with the situation.
They analyzed epidemiological data, helped strengthen diagnostic capabilities and provided scientific expertise to better understand the dynamics of the epidemic and develop appropriate response strategies.
May 2026: whole-genome sequencing of Andes hantavirus detected on MV Hondius cruise ship
The virological investigation led jointly by the Hantavirus CNR and the CIBU at the Institut Pasteur established the complete genome sequence of the hantavirus strain detected in a blood sample from a French passenger who tested positive after traveling on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
As well as sequencing the viral strain (Andes), our teams were closely involved in diagnostic analysis in France during the infectious episode, while also helping assess the risk of transmission and providing advice to health authorities.