Analysis of the Epidemiological Situation

The past few weeks have been marked by an increase in dengue-related activity in French Guiana. The evolving situation on Cayenne Island and in the Western sector led the Monitoring Committee for Insect-Borne Human Diseases to declare, on March 5, 2013, that these two sectors had entered Phase 3 of the Psage “pre-epidemic” (see pages 5 and 6). The Kourou sector remains in an epidemic phase (see page 4), as does St. Georges. Dengue cases have also been reported in other municipalities, particularly along the banks of the Maroni River, indicating an expansion of viral circulation. Serotypes DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4 are co-circulating, with DENV-2 being the predominant serotype. It should be noted that serotype DENV-3, identified in two cases in late January, has not caused an epidemic for several years.Given the overall epidemiological situation, it is important to reiterate the importance of eliminating larval breeding sites and taking individual precautions against mosquitoes. In the event of sudden onset of fever