Abstract
Arboviruses are viruses transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquito vectors. Over the last decade, arbovirus circulation has increasingly been detected in New Caledonia (NC), a French island territory located in the subtropical Pacific region. Reliable epidemiological, entomological, virological and climate data have been collected in NC over the last decade. Here, we describe these data and how they inform arboviruses’ epidemiological profile. We pinpoint areas which remain to be investigated to fully understand the peculiar epidemiological profile of arbovirus circulation in NC. Further, we discuss the advantages of conducting studies on arboviruses dynamics in NC. Overall, we show that conclusions drawn from observations conducted in NC may inform epidemiological risk assessments elsewhere and may be vital to guide surveillance and response, both in New Caledonia and beyond.
Highlights
Arbovirus co-circulation has increasingly been detected in New Caledonia (NC), a French island territory located in the subtropical Pacific region with a population of approximately 280,000 (Figure 1A)
Molecular surveillance showed that dengue virus (DENV)-1-genotype I replaced DENV-1-genotype IV in 2012 [2]; this genotype replacement was followed by a large outbreak in 2012–2013
Impact of Population Immunity on the Arbovirus Circulation Profile in New Caledonia In NC, the percentage of the population protected against arboviruses is unknown
Summary
Arbovirus co-circulation has increasingly been detected in New Caledonia (NC), a French island territory located in the subtropical Pacific region with a population of approximately 280,000 (Figure 1A). Since 2012, we have observed major changes in the epidemiology of dengue, with uninterrupted DENV circulation causing cases detected every year and even during the cool season. Along with DENV circulation, Zika virus (ZIKV) was detected in NC in 2014, causing a significant outbreak of 1392 confirmed cases [3] (https://dass.gouv.nc/votre-sante/documents-rapports-etudes) (Figure 1B). Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has not caused major outbreaks in NC, with less than 50 cases detected in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015 [1] (https://dass.gouv.nc/votre-sante/documents-rapports-etudes) (Figure 1B). Seasonal variations of climate at the country scale may represent an important determinant of arbovirus outbreaks with adverse effects on viruses and vectors as both temperature and precipitations have been shown to be strongly influence the occurrence of dengue epidemics in NC [9,12]
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