Summary

An outbreak of viral conjunctivitis is currently underway in the French West Indies.

Routinely monitored health surveillance indicators show that the outbreaks are continuing: - In Guadeloupe, the outbreak that began in Marie-Galante in May subsequently spread throughout the archipelago in June. The highest number of conjunctivitis cases was recorded in early July. The outbreak continues.- Martinique is seeing a decline in the outbreak, with the estimated number of cases decreasing over the past two weeks. The outbreak has spread throughout the territory. - In the Northern Islands, the outbreak that began in Saint Martin six weeks ago continues to spread, while the epidemiological situation regarding conjunctivitis in Saint Barthélemy remains moderate.Samples collected in Guadeloupe and Martinique have identified the highly contagious enterovirus Coxsackie virus A24v in both territories. Additionally, samples collected in Martinique have also identified adenovirus.

To date, there have been no reports indicating an unusual occurrence of severe cases.

In the Caribbean and South America, the conjunctivitis outbreak in French Guiana has ended. However, an outbreak is still ongoing in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bonaire, the Turks and Caicos Islands, as well as in the Bahamas and Brazil.