Outbreak of Chikungunya in the French Caribbean Islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe: Findings from a Hospital-Based Surveillance System (2013–2015)

• Published in: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol. 98; no. 6; pp. 1819 - 1825
• Main Authors: Bruno Hoen, Ghislain Leduc, Annabel Preira, Sylvie Boa, Raymond Césaire, Mathilde Melin, Frédérique de Saint-Alary, K. Schepers, Jacques Rosine, Amandine Vaidie, Séverine Rochais, Patrick Saint-Martin, Elise Daudens-Vaysse, Fatiha Najioullah, Magguy Davidas, Stéphanie Guyomard, Luisiane Carvalho, Sylvie Abel, Marie-José Romagne, Ruth Troudard, Cécile Herrmann-Storck, Marie-Claire Paty, Laurence Fagour, Isabelle Lamaury, Martine Ledrans, Alexandra Septfons, André Cabié, Frédérique Dorléans, A. Blateau, Yvette Adélaïde, Sylvie Cassadou
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 06.06.2018; Institute of Tropical Medicine; The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• Subjects: [SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Chikungunya Fever; Chikungunya virus; Child; Child, Preschool; Disease Outbreaks; Epidemiological Monitoring; Female; Guadeloupe; Hospitals; Humans; Infant; Infections; Laboratories; Male; Martinique; Middle Aged; Older people; Surveillance; Young Adult; Martinique; Guadeloupe
• ISSN: 0002-9637; 1476-1645; 1476-1645
• DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0719

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) emerged in the Caribbean island of Saint-Martin in December 2013. We implemented a hospital-based surveillance system to detect and describe CHIKV cases including severe forms of the infection and deaths in the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. A case was defined as a patient with a CHIKV laboratory confirmation cared for in a public hospital for chikungunya for at least 24 hours, and a severe CHIKV case was defined as a CHIKV case presenting one or more organ failures. Sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected and cases classified into severe or nonsevere based on medical records. From December 2013 to January 2015, a total of 1,836 hospitalized cases were identified. Rate of hospital admissions for CHIKV infection was 60 per 10,000 suspected clinical CHIKV cases and severity accounted for 12 per 10,000. A total of 74 deaths related to CHIKV infection occurred. Infants and elderly people were more frequently hospitalized compared with others and severity was more frequently reported in elderly subjects and subjects with underlying health condition. Fifteen neonatal infections consecutive to mother-to-child transmission were diagnosed, seven of which were severe. The most vulnerable groups of the population, such as the elderly, infants, individuals with comorbidities, and pregnant women, should remain the main targets of public health priorities.