NewsDesk @bactiman63

Faced with the increase in the number of dengue fever cases in the West Indies, Martinique and Guadeloupe have entered the epidemic phase since August 17, 2023, according to Public Health France.

In the West Indies, dengue fever circulates according to an endemo-epidemic mode of transmission with a seasonal intensity that varies from year to year. Throughout the year, it is monitored by Public Health France Antilles, which publishes regular status updates on dengue fever in these territories. For several weeks, the circulation of the dengue virus has intensified in Martinique and Guadeloupe with an increase in the number of reported cases. The Technical Committees for Monitoring dengue fever in Guadeloupe and Martinique met on August 17, 2023 and concluded that the epidemiological situation of dengue fever in these two territories now corresponded to an epidemic phase. 

In Guadeloupe, the circulation of the virus continues to intensify within the archipelago and is particularly active in the municipalities of Saint-François and Trois-Rivières. Visits to the emergency room for dengue syndrome are on the increase.

France reports 1st locally transmitted dengue cases of 2023

In Martinique, the spread of the dengue virus is intensifying throughout the territory and hospital indicators, in particular visits to the emergency room for dengue syndrome, are increasing. 

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The DENV-2 serotype was identified in a majority of cases investigated in Martinique and Guadeloupe.

In mainland France, these epidemics have the repercussions of a large number of “imported” dengue cases, with a recent stay in Martinique and Guadeloupe (more than 50% of dengue cases reported among travelers). These “imported” cases can be the source of transmission episodes. Thus, since 2010 episodes of dengue fever transmission in France have been regularly identified. Four of these episodes originated from a case on return from the West Indies. There have been a total of 28 episodes of dengue fever transmission in France, representing a total of 114 cases of dengue fever contracted in mainland France since 2010, including 66 cases in 2022.