title: Zika emergence in the French Territories of America and description of first confirmed cases of Zika virus infection on Martinique, November 2015 to February 2016.
abstract: Following of the emergence of Zika virus in Brazil in 2015, an epidemiological surveillance system was quickly implemented in the French overseas Territories of America (FTA) according to previous experience with dengue and chikungunya and has detected first cases of Zika. General practitioners and medical microbiologists were invited to report all clinically suspected cases of Zika, laboratory investigations were systematically conducted (RT-PCR). On 18 December, the first autochthonous case of Zika virus infection was confirmed by RT-PCR on French Guiana and Martinique, indicating introduction of Zika virus in FTA. The viral circulation of Zika virus was then also confirmed on Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin. We report here early findings on 203 confirmed cases of Zika virus infection identified by RT-PCR or seroneutralisation on Martinique Island between 24 November 2015 and 20 January 2016. All cases were investigated. Common clinical signs were observed (maculopapular rash, arthralgia, fever, myalgia and conjunctival hyperaemia) among these patients, but the rash, the foundation of our case definition, may be absent in a significant proportion of patients (16%). These results are important for the implementation of a suspected case definition, the main tool for epidemiological surveillance, in territories that may be affected by ZIKV emergence, including Europe.
authors.affiliation: Santé publique France, French national public health agency, Regional unit (Cire) Antilles Guyane, Saint-Maurice, France.
authors.forename: Elise
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Daudens-Vaysse
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ledrans
authors.forename: Noellie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gay
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ardillon
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cassadou
authors.forename: Fatiha
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Najioullah
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Leparc-Goffart
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rousset
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cesaire
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maquart
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Flusin
authors.forename: Séverine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matheus
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Huc-Anaïs
authors.forename: Josiane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jaubert
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Criquet-Hayot
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hoen
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Djossou
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Locatelli-Jouans
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blateau
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: McKenzie
authors.forename: Mathilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Melin
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saint-Martin
authors.forename: Frédérique
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dorléans
authors.forename: Claudine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suivant
authors.forename: Luisiane
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petit-Sinturel
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andrieu
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Noël
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Septfons
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gallay
authors.forename: Marie-Claire
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Paty
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Filleul
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cabié
mesh_terms: D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D008395:Martinique / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D000071244:Zika Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000071243:Zika Virus Infection / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: French Guiana; Guadeloupe; Martinique; Zika; epidemiology; vector-borne infections