Summary

Epidemics of viral conjunctivitis on an unprecedented scale affected the French West Indies beginning in May (Martinique and Guadeloupe) and June (epidemic in Saint Martin and resurgence in Saint Barthélemy). In recent weeks, routinely monitored indicators have shown that these epidemics have ended. Biological samples collected during the outbreaks revealed the circulation of a highly contagious enterovirus, Coxsackievirus A24v, in both territories. Additionally, samples collected in Martinique also detected adenovirus. Furthermore, no severe cases were reported during these outbreaks. The summary of the outbreaks in the various territories shows the following situations:

• In Guadeloupe, the outbreak, which began in Marie-Galante in May, subsequently spread throughout the archipelago in June. The peak of the outbreak was recorded in early July. The end of the outbreak was observed during the first week of October. This exceptionally large conjunctivitis outbreak (an estimated 18,130 cases) lasted 5 months.

• In Martinique, the conjunctivitis outbreak began in May and reached its peak in June. The end of the outbreak was observed in late September. This conjunctivitis outbreak, also of exceptional magnitude (an estimated 23,330 cases), lasted approximately five months.

• In the Northern Islands, the outbreak that began in Saint Martin in June reached its peak in early July and ended in mid-August (estimated 2,000 cases). In Saint-Barthélemy, the resurgence observed during the month of June has not been confirmed. This trend should be interpreted with caution due to the various disruptions the island experienced following Hurricane Irma in early September.

Since mid-July, ten countries and territories in the Americas have reported an increase in cases of conjunctivitis: the Bahamas, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Saint Lucia, Suriname, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Since Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck in September, disruptions to health systems have likely impacted the monitoring of this condition, for which no data is currently available.