Summary

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

Indeed, routine public health surveillance indicators show an unusual increase in cases of infectious conjunctivitis in our territories over the past two weeks. The impact is greater in community practice than in hospitals. No signs of severe illness or complications have been reported yet. Initial samples taken in Guadeloupe have identified an enterovirus, and those taken in Martinique are currently being analyzed.

The outbreak in Guadeloupe began in Marie-Galante, as confirmed by activity among general practitioners and in emergency departments, and has since spread to Grande-Terre and, more recently, to Basse-Terre. In Martinique, the northern part of the island appears to have been spared by the outbreak so far, with cases suggestive of conjunctivitis concentrated primarily in the central and southern parts of the island. The northern islands (Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin) have not yet been affected by the outbreak.

In the Caribbean and South America, an outbreak has been ongoing in French Guiana since late April (Week 2017-17). Suriname, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti have also reported a large-scale conjunctivitis outbreak for several weeks.