Summary of the situation in the Americas
As of epidemiological week (EW) 23 of 2017, five countries and territories of the Americas have reported outbreaks of conjunctivitis: Bahamas, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe,
and Martinique.
In the Bahamas,1 between May and June 2017, there was an increase in the number of cases of conjunctivitis. A total of 240 cases were reported compared to the 187 cases reported during the same period in 2016. Public health measures needed to control the situation have been implemented by the competent health authorities.
In Brazil,2 an outbreak of conjunctivitis was reported in the municipality of Humaitá, Amazonas state with 172 cases being registered between 18 May and 6 June 2017. Local health authorities are implementing prevention and control measures to end the outbreak.
In the Dominican Republic,3 as of EW 21 of 2017, a total of 66,626 cases of conjunctivitis were reported, representing a 62% increase compared with the same period of 2016 (41,022
reported cases). The conjunctivitis outbreak began on EW 18 of 2017 and is ongoing. Between EW 18 and EW 21, the provinces of Distrito Nacional, San Cristóbal, Santiago, and Santo
Domingo reported the highest increases in the number of cases. In Guadeloupe,4 an increase in cases of conjunctivitis above the epidemic threshold level has been observed since the end of 2016. Between EW 20 and EW 21 of 2017, the weekly number of suspected cases increased significantly, with 500 to 600 cases being reported and a cumulative incidence of 20 cases for 10,000 population (eight times higher than the number of
cases expected for this time of the year). Across the territory, the commune of Grand Bourg reported the highest incidence, with 353 cases per 10,000 population, followed by Le Gosier, Pointe-à-Pitre, and Terre-de-Bas, with an incidence between 50 and 100 cases per 10,000 population. Laboratory tests performed on a set of samples from suspected cases were positive for enteroviruses. In Martinique,4 the number of cases of conjunctivitis increased significantly in EW 20 of 2017, when 250 suspected cases were reported weekly. Between EW 20 and EW 21, the cumulative incidence was 10 cases per 10,000 population. The communes of Marin and François reported
the highest incidence rates with 41 and 35 cases per 10,000 population, respectively. Outbreaks of conjunctivitis in other countries of the Region are under investigation.
PAHO ALERT
