Analysis of the Epidemiological Situation

An outbreak of gastroenteritis has been detected in Mayotte since early August. Following a sharp increase in the number of visits to the hospital emergency department and a peak in week 33 (Monday, August 11, through Sunday, August 17), the trend has been declining for the past five weeks. Among sentinel physicians treating children under 5, the trend is also downward but at a slower rate than in the emergency department, and activity remains above seasonal averages (2011–2013). In pharmacies within the sentinel network, sales of anti-diarrheal medications have also decreased and have remained at a stable level for the past three weeks, though still higher than pre-epidemic levels. To date, various indicators suggest a continued decline in circulation, though levels remain above the usual background noise.Initial analyses conducted at the CHM laboratory and the National Reference Center for Enteric Viruses have identified a predominance of rotavirus, with sapovirus and norovirus present to a lesser extent. Additional samples are currently being analyzed at the National Reference Center for Enteric Viruses to further characterize the viruses responsible for this outbreak.