Outbreak of malaria among policemen in French Guiana

An outbreak of malaria occurred among 62 policemen following an operation against illegal gold panning in French Guiana. A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The objectives were to describe the outbreak and to identify factors related to the cases. The total number of initial cases was 37. Bo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMilitary medicine Vol. 172; no. 9; pp. 977 - 981
Main Authors Michel, Rémy, Ollivier, Lénaïck, Meynard, Jean-Baptiste, Guette, Christian, Migliani, René, Boutin, Jean-Paul
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Oxford University Press 01.09.2007
Subjects
Adult
Armed forces
Cohort analysis
Compliance
Disease Outbreaks
Female
France - ethnology
French Guiana - epidemiology
Health surveillance
Humans
Malaria
Malaria - ethnology
Male
Middle Aged
Mosquitoes
Plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodium vivax
Police
Public health
Questionnaires
Retrospective Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires
French Guiana
France
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Summary:An outbreak of malaria occurred among 62 policemen following an operation against illegal gold panning in French Guiana. A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The objectives were to describe the outbreak and to identify factors related to the cases. The total number of initial cases was 37. Both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax were detected. Twenty-seven policemen presented with one to four recurrences. In bivariate analysis, factors related to malaria were a "medium to high" level of mosquito bites pollution at night, late washing in the evening and wearing a nonimpregnated Battle Dress Uniform (BDU). This investigation confirmed the low level of compliance with chemoprophylaxis among individuals on long-term assignment in French Guiana. Compliance with mosquito protection measures was satisfactory except for the use of impregnated BDU. Several recommendations were provided. Therefore, this outbreak reminds us that malaria remains a public health problem in French Guiana.
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ISSN:0026-4075
1930-613X
DOI:10.7205/MILMED.172.9.977