Surveillance of dengue fever in French Guiana by monitoring the results of negative malaria diagnoses

• Published in: Epidemiology and infection Vol. 125; no. 1; pp. 189 - 193
• Main Authors: TALARMIN, A., PENEAU, C., DUSSART, P., PFAFF, F., COURCIER, M., DE ROCCA-SERRA, B., SARTHOU, J. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Cambridge University Press 01.08.2000; Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Subjects: Arboviroses; Biological and medical sciences; Dengue; Dengue - epidemiology; Dengue fevers; Dengue hemorrhagic fever; Dengue Virus; Dengue Virus - genetics; Diseases; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epidemics; Fever; French Guiana; French Guiana - epidemiology; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Life Sciences; Malaria; Malaria - diagnosis; Medical sciences; Patient assessment; Physicians; Population Surveillance; Population Surveillance - methods; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Viral; RNA, Viral - blood; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Surveillance; Tropical medicine; Tropical viral diseases; Viral diseases; South America; French Guiana; America; Infection; Human; Protozoal disease; Correlation; Malaria; Viral disease; Dengue; Arbovirus disease; Parasitosis; Sanitary surveillance; Epidemiology; Public health
• ISSN: 0950-2688; 1469-4409
• DOI: 10.1017/S0950268899004239

Surveillance of dengue fever is mainly based on specific laboratory tests. However non-specific systems, such as clinical surveillance, are also required. In French Guiana, we have tested a non-specific laboratory surveillance system where different biological examinations performed for other reasons than the diagnosis of dengue fever were analysed as methods for dengue fever surveillance. The number of negative malaria diagnoses in Cayenne and Kourou was found to be the best indicator of dengue fever infections in these towns. This surveillance system appears to be very simple and reliable, and a test which could serve as an indicator that is likely to be found everywhere.