# foyer de l'infection



## Âme de la science

Hello everyone.
I would like to ask you what the suitable word for " foyer de l'infection" is?
Speaking about coronavirus, "l'Oise est l'un des principaux foyers de l'infection".
Je vous remercie.


----------



## jetset

Mais pourtant on nous rabâche les oreilles avec ce terme  an infection cluster.


----------



## verofred

Certainement pas "cluster" (grappe, groupe, amas,etc.) mais "focal infection"


----------



## Itisi

*foyer infectieux* _nm_(cause et localisation d'une infection)source of the infection _n_  (_place on body_)site of the infection, infection site _n_


----------



## archijacq

Vous confondez "focal infection" (_*Focal infection definition*_, an infection in which bacteria are localized in some region, as the tonsils or the tissue around a tooth) et "cluster" (terme utilisé par les média pour désigner un foyer de contagion).


----------



## Âme de la science

jetset said:


> Mais pourtant on nous rabâche les oreilles avec ce terme  an infection cluster.



J'entends tous les jours cluster aussi, mais je croyais qu'il y avait un terme on va dire plus médical ou scientifique même si cluster résonne bien


----------



## Itisi

verofred said:


> Certainement pas "cluster" (grappe, groupe, amas,etc.)



Et là, il a raison !


----------



## Âme de la science

Itisi said:


> Et il a raison !



I think your 'infection site' is the most suitable in this context.


----------



## Âme de la science

verofred said:


> Certainement pas "cluster" (grappe, groupe, amas,etc.) mais "focal infection"


 
Je sais que cluster est bien utilisé en Génétique  mais je ne crois pas que ça veut dire la même chose.
*"Cluster de gènes* (Anglais : gene cluster) Un groupe de deux ou plusieurs gènes situés sur un même chromosome, proches les uns des autres, et dont les fonctions sont voisines. Exemple : les gènes du système HLA."


----------



## Itisi

Ce most apparaît dans bien des domaines ! 

*cluster*
 (ˈklʌstə)
_n_
*1. *a number of things growing, fastened, or occurring close together
*2. *a number of persons or things grouped together
*3. *(Military) _military_ _US_ a metal insignia worn on a medal ribbon to indicate a second award or a higher class of a decoration or order
*4. *(Military) _military_
*a. *a group of bombs dropped in one stick, esp fragmentation and incendiary bombs
*b. *the basic unit of mines used in laying a minefield
*5. *(Astronomy) _astronomy_ an aggregation of stars or galaxies moving together through space
*6. *(Phonetics & Phonology) a group of two or more consecutive vowels or consonants
*7. *(Statistics) _statistics_ a naturally occurring subgroup of a population used in stratified sampling
*8. *(Chemistry) _chem_
*a. *a chemical compound or molecule containing groups of metal atoms joined by metal-to-metal bonds
*b. *the group of linked metal atoms present


----------



## Âme de la science

Itisi said:


> Ce most apparaît dans bien des domaines !
> 
> *cluster*
> (ˈklʌstə)
> _n_
> *1. *a number of things growing, fastened, or occurring close together
> *2. *a number of persons or things grouped together
> *3. *(Military) _military_ _US_ a metal insignia worn on a medal ribbon to indicate a second award or a higher class of a decoration or order
> *4. *(Military) _military_
> *a. *a group of bombs dropped in one stick, esp fragmentation and incendiary bombs
> *b. *the basic unit of mines used in laying a minefield
> *5. *(Astronomy) _astronomy_ an aggregation of stars or galaxies moving together through space
> *6. *(Phonetics & Phonology) a group of two or more consecutive vowels or consonants
> *7. *(Statistics) _statistics_ a naturally occurring subgroup of a population used in stratified sampling
> *8. *(Chemistry) _chem_
> *a. *a chemical compound or molecule containing groups of metal atoms joined by metal-to-metal bonds
> *b. *the group of linked metal atoms present



I agree with you, it has many meanings. For the moment, I haven't seen it used by the English media in this specific context but in the French media, it is frequently used.


----------



## wildan1

The term _cluster_ does indeed cover a whole variety of contexts, however the list above does not include its meaning in the context of epidemiology:

A disease cluster is an unusually high incidence of a particular disease or disorder occurring in close proximity in terms of both time and geography.

To me _an infection cluster_ is a specific location (not as big as a whole _département_) where a number of infections have occurred--a cruise ship, a nursing home, a factory, a specific neighborhood, etc.

For a region the size of l'Oise, there must have been several such clusters to make it _an outbreak area_:

In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease in a particular time and place. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire continent.... They may affect a region in a country or a group of countries.


----------



## guillaumedemanzac

Foyer means a place (welcoming) where something feels at home and can breed and have a family centre.    Unsuitable to say you are welcoming Covid 17 into your home (Oise).     Perhaps birthplace is better for a disease. Oise is one of the centres which is harbouring the disease.  And a Harbour or Haven has the meaning of welcoming and a safe place to tie up your boat  ..  slightly contradictory  if you use the wrong word which I think this writer has done.


----------



## A User

A "foyer de l'infection" is *in* Oise.





_Occasionally, the amount of disease in a community rises above the expected level. *Epidemic* refers to an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in that area. *Outbreak* carries the same definition of epidemic, but is often used for a more limited geographic area. *Cluster* refers to an aggregation of cases grouped in place and time that are suspected to be greater than the number expected, even though the expected number may not be known. Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.

_Legionella Outbreak Toolbox


----------



## ain'ttranslationfun?

The definition in #4 is "on the body", so it wouldn't apply to a region or _département_. "The Oise is one of the  areas where the largest number of cases is/are found." ?


----------



## Âme de la science

What do you think of outbreak as suggested by Wildan in #12 and by the #14 user ?
I have been checking the scientific papers published recently and this term is frequently used as in this passage in Nature:
_'Public-health officials want to pin down the virus’s source so they can prevent new *outbreaks*. Scientists assume that the pathogen jumped to people from an animal, as has been seen with other coronaviruses; for example, the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is thought to have jumped to humans from civets in 2002. Dozens of people infected early in the current *outbreak* worked in a live-animal market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, but tests of coronavirus samples found at the market have yet to identify a source.'_


----------



## broglet

bonsoir *Âme de la science* et bienvenue.

I think 'cluster' is a possible translation (it meets the definition in #14) but for the reasons proposed by wildan1 (#12) it doesn't feel appropriate.

I would translate your sentence as "One of the main concentrations of the infection is in the Oise département".


----------



## OLN

archijacq said:


> Vous confondez "focal infection" (_*Focal infection definition*_, an infection in which bacteria are localized in some region, as the tonsils or the tissue around a tooth) et "cluster" (terme utilisé par les média pour désigner un foyer de contagion).


Merci de l'avoir rappelé. L'image est la même, que ce soit à l'échelle d'un organisme (un foyer infectieux pulmonaire), d'une population (un foyer de [cas de] pneumonies) ... ou d'une forêt. Le phénomène se propage ou non à partir du foyer en question.

On entend effectivement sans arrêt "cluster" en franglais dans les médias, comme si le français manquait de vocabulaire. 
 Ce fil du 30 janvier traite du même sujet : pneumonia cluster


----------



## ain'ttranslationfun?

In a non-scientific context, maybe "hotbed"?


----------



## Âme de la science

broglet said:


> bonsoir *Âme de la science* et bienvenue.
> 
> I think 'cluster' is a possible translation (it meets the definition in #14) but for the reasons proposed by wildan1 (#12) it doesn't feel appropriate.
> 
> I would translate your sentence as "One of the main concentrations of the infection is in the Oise département".



Merci pour votre accueil chaleureux  

In all the English documents I have checked either scientific articles or press ones, cluster doesn't appear at all. The term that frequently crops up is 'outbreak'.


----------



## Itisi

*outbreak*- a sudden violent spontaneous occurrence (usually of some undesirable condition); "the outbreak of hostilities"
irruption, eruption
happening, natural event, occurrence, occurrent - an event that happens
epidemic - a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease; many people are infected at the same time
recrudescence - a return of something after a period of abatement; "a recrudescence of racism"; "a recrudescence of the symptoms"


----------



## Reynald

Âme de la science said:


> I haven't seen it used by the English media in this specific context but in the French media, it is frequently used.





Âme de la science said:


> In all the English documents I have checked either scientific articles or press ones, cluster doesn't appear at all.


Je ne sais pas qui a propagé les clusters en France mais ils circulent bel et bien dans la presse de langue anglaise (britannique comme américaine).


> 3:33 pm: Grocery stockpiling is most severe near coronavirus clusters—then there’s Colorado
> Untraceable coronavirus clusters emerge outside Asia, worrying health officials.


Untraceable coronavirus clusters emerge outside Asia, worrying health officials


> Clusters of infection are likely in American communities, health officials said


New York Times


> The regional director for Public Health England said on Monday that none of the four patients in a cluster in the county were GPs or health workers.


The Guardian

De même dans la presse médicale :


> The Joint Mission received detailed information from the investigation of clusters and some household transmission studies … most clusters (78%-85%) have occurred in families.


Rapport


> The Health Commission of Hubei province, China, first announced a cluster of unexplained cases of pneumonia on Dec 31, 2019.1 27 patients were initially reported, which was subsequently revised to 41 on Jan 11, 2020...


The Lancet


----------



## Âme de la science

Reynald said:


> Je ne sais pas qui a propagé les clusters en France mais ils circulent bel et bien dans la presse de langue anglaise (britannique comme américaine).
> 
> Untraceable coronavirus clusters emerge outside Asia, worrying health officials
> 
> New York Times
> 
> The Guardian
> 
> De même dans la presse médicale :
> 
> Rapport
> 
> The Lancet



Il s'avère que The Guardian utilise les deux car les articles que j'ai lus ont plutôt mentionné 'outbreak' comme celui-ci qui est juste un exemple parmi d'autres:
'The central province of Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 28 new deaths. In the provincial capital of Wuhan, 21 people died.'

L'extrait scientifique que j'ai partagé vient de Nature. J'imagine que les deux sont valables soit outbreak ou cluster.


----------



## wildan1

Âme de la science said:


> 'The central province of Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 28 new deaths. In the provincial capital of Wuhan, 21 people died.'


Yes, good example--the province of Hubei, like l'Oise, is the _outbreak area _and the city Wuhan is the site of _a cluster _of 21 deaths.


----------



## Itisi

On tourne en rond !  Ces deux mots sont valables, oui, mais chacun à sa place !


Âme de la science said:


> 'The central province of Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak


Evidemment qu'il s'agit d'un 'outbreak',  c'est là où la maladie s'est déclarée !  Alors que


verofred said:


> "cluster" (grappe, groupe, amas,etc.)



PS - Je vois que *wildan* et moi sommes sur la même longueur d'onde !


----------



## Reynald

Pour ma part je répondais à la question de savoir si, dans le contexte de l'épidémie actuelle, _cluster_ était vraiment utilisé dans les publications en anglais ou si c'était un emprunt hasardeux de nos journalistes.
Je ne sais pas si les médecins et journalistes français qui utilisent _cluster_ lui donnent exactement le même sens qu'en anglais. Il me semble en tout cas qu'on le comprend ici, quand on n'est pas médecin, simplement comme synonyme de « foyer d'infection ».

Mais pour _outbreak_ ou_ cluster_ en anglais ? Et précisément, si possible ? Cette explication me paraît fiable et claire (tout comme celle citée au *#14*) : la différence est une question de certitude.


> *What is an outbreak?* An outbreak is defined as more cases of disease in time or place than expected. If the condition is rare (i.e. foodborne botulism) or has serious public health implications (i.e. bioterrorism agent), an outbreak may involve only one case.
> *What is a cluster?* A cluster is a group of cases in a certain place and time *suspected* to be greater than expected. Not all clusters are outbreaks but all clusters should be investigated thoroughly and rapidly to rule out an outbreak or to implement control measures.


https://dph.georgia.gov/sites/dph.georgia.gov/files/related_files/document/ADES_Outbreak_Fact Sheet_Q&A.pdf

Cela élimine donc, en effet, _cluster_ pour la traduction de la phrase proposée au #1 puisque la certitude d'avoir affaire à un foyer d'infection est établie.


----------



## guillaumedemanzac

Different usages  :  

… outbreak is for a disease, an outbreak of polio, an outbreak of malaria, a new outbreak of Lyme disease as the temperature rises and the ticks start breeding.

… cluster is for the grouping of victims, a new cluster of 10 cases in northern Italy, several separate clusters along the south coast, a cluster of cases discovered in Alabama (USA).


----------



## OLN

"Foyer d'infection/de l'infection X" est pour moi un mauvais terme. Il s'agit d'un foyer de cas au pluriel de quelque chose, en l'occurrence de cas d'infection par un virus donné.
_Foyer de cas / cluster of cas*es*_ est n'est pas un terme journalistique ; il est employé par l'OMS/ la WHO et dans les publications scientifiques.
Ex. :


> The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced today that preliminary laboratory results indicate a cluster of cases of Ebola virus in North Kivu province.
> Cluster of presumptive Ebola cases in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, WHO





> Au total, 1033 contacts liés à ce foyer de cas ont été identifiés à ce jour,
> rapport de situation sur la flambee de maladie a virus ebola, OMS





> In May 2005, a cluster of four hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) cases was confirmed in Alberta, Canada.
> Cluster of Cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in Alberta, Canada | The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene





> Earlier work had shown two distinct clusters of cases whereby isolates differed in a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), but no link could be found between the two clusters
> Super-spreading of Mycobacterium tuberculosis





> L'épidémie de chikungunya qui sévit aux Antilles fait craindre un nombre élevé de cas importés dans les prochains mois en métropole, avec le risque de survenue de foyers de cas autochtones.
> _Revue d'Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, _Volume 62, Supplement 5, September 2014, Page S209


Et bien sûr, on n'a pu s'empêcher d'employer _cluster _en français :


> Cette investigation a permis l'identification d'un cluster de cas de FQ lié à une exploitation agricole recevant du public
> _Médecine et Maladies Infectieuses_*, *Volume 48, Issue 4, Supplement, June 2018, Pages S109-S110



Encore une fois, ce sujet a été discuté dans le fil pneumonia cluster qui est toujours ouvert.


----------



## tamanoir

Comme je trouve inélégant ce mot de cluster je vous propose "The Oise area is one of the main infection hotspots".


----------



## Reynald

Dernières nouvelles du front (linguistique) : Un organisme officiel propose… l'usage disposera, comme d'habitude.


> Le mot anglais « _cluster_ » fait penser à « cloître » mais il désigne en anglais la « _grappe_ » ; par extension, il prend le sens de « _regroupement dans le temps et l’espace de cas d’une maladie_ ». Comment traduire ce sens spécifique ? […]
> La Commission d’enrichissement de la langue française a proposé le mot *« foyer (épidémique) »*. Ce mot présente plusieurs atouts. « Foyer », d’usage courant en français, est aussi le terme utilisé dans les autres langues romanes qui, d’ailleurs, ignorent le mot anglais.


Coronavirus, les mots pour le dire


----------



## Locape

C'est ce que j'utilise déjà au lieu de 'cluster', l'usage me semble bien parti, à part certains journalistes qui ne peuvent s'empêcher de cranouiller parce qu'ils baragouinent 2 mots d'anglais. 😉


----------



## lentulax

principaux foyers de l'infection - areas worst hit by the infection ?  ('worst-hit areas' is a widely used term in this context).


----------



## Locape

I think it's more the 'source of the infection' (see post #4), where it began, but it's also often the worst-hit areas too.


----------

