Dengue is considered to be an emerging disease with a growing geographical distribution and increasing severity in all tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Up to recently, the Caribbean region was spared from severe forms of the disease. It was not until the 1980s that the first cases of Dengue hemorrhagic fever were reported. Thus after the deadly epidemics which occurred in Cuba in 1981, then in Venezuela in 1989 and 1990, epidemics occurred in the French Departments of America (FDA), in Guyane in 1991 and in Guadeloupe and Martinique in 1994 and 1995. In 1997, an unprecedented Dengue epidemic caused nine deaths in the French department of Martinique. The French Ministry of Health thus decided to conduct an evaluation of the currently operating entomological and epidemiological surveillance systems in the French departments of Antilles and Guyane. The results of these evaluations led to discussions among about forty experts who met in a workshop on June 8-10, 1998 at Fort-de-France in response to an initiative taken by the Antilles-Guyane Regional Epidemiology Unit (CIRE) and the National Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS). It was felt that it would be useful for all those participating in the fight against Dengue to have information on the procedures followed in these discussions leading to the elaboration of guidelines which could in the future be used by the Ministry of Health to guide Dengue surveillance. This was the goal of this document. (R.A.)
Auteur : Blateau A, Chaud P, Decludt B, Lamaury I, Strobel M, Talarmin A, Yebakima A
Année de publication
: 1999
Pages : 54 p.
