Abstract
Dengue is a public health concern across the globe, and an escalating problem in the Americas. As part of a wider programme (covering Latin America and South East Asia) to characterize the epidemiology of dengue in dengue endemic areas, we undertook a systematic literature review to assess epidemiological trends (incidence, timing and duration of outbreaks/epidemics, age and sex distribution, serotype distribution, seroprevalence and disease severity) for dengue across the French Territories of the Americas (FTA), in French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy between 2000 and 2012 (CRD42012002341: http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42012002341). Of 413 relevant data sources identified, 45 were eligible for inclusion. A large proportion of the available data were from national surveillance reports, and 12 publications were from peer-reviewed journals. During the review period, 3–5 epidemics were identified in each of the island territories and French Guiana, and epidemics were often associated with a shift in the predominant circulating dengue virus serotype. Substantial gaps in epidemiological knowledge were identified. In particular, information regarding dengue virus genotype distribution, seroprevalence and age distribution of dengue were lacking. Additionally, much of the available data were from epidemic years; data from inter-epidemic periods were sparse. Nevertheless, the available epidemiological data showed that dengue is endemic across the FTA and suggest an evolution towards hyperendemicity, highlighting the need to continue the efforts with the existing surveillance programmes to assist in planning an effective vaccination programme once a dengue vaccine is deployed.Protocol registrationPROSPERO CRD42012002341
Highlights
Dengue is caused by the dengue virus (DENV), of which there are four serotypes (DENV-1–4) that are transmitted to humans by infected Aedes sp. mosquitoes
This review describes the epidemiology of dengue in the French Territories of the Americas (FTA), comprising French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy (Figure 1), for the period of 2000–2012
From the 45 publications, data were retrieved for the five territories as follows: 14 publications for French Guiana; 11 publications for Martinique; seven publications for Guadeloupe; six publications for Saint Martin; five publications for Saint Barthelemy; and 13 publications for French West Indies and French Guiana
Summary
Dengue is caused by the dengue virus (DENV), of which there are four serotypes (DENV-1–4) that are transmitted to humans by infected Aedes sp. mosquitoes. Infection produces a spectrum of illness, ranging from inapparent or mild, non-specific febrile syndrome to classic dengue fever (DF), or to severe disease forms including dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). This review describes the epidemiology of dengue in the French Territories of the Americas (FTA), comprising French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy (Figure 1), for the period of 2000–2012. The territory pairings of Martinique and Guadeloupe, and Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy share some geographical characteristics, making it easier to compare the epidemiology of dengue between these two sets of territories. Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy have tropical climates, but these are drier than those of Martinique and Guadeloupe, with a dry season during December–May, with punctual shortages of water, and a rainy season from July–October [4]. French Guiana has an equatorial climate, with two rainy seasons (April–July and December–March) and a dry season from August to November [5,6]
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