Éditeur(s) :
HAL CCSD Public Library of Science Résumé : International audience
Author Summary Leptospirosis is a common disease in tropical regions around the world. It is caused by a bacteria excreted in environmental waters by mammals, especially rodents, through their urine. Leptospirosis has symptoms similar to other tropical diseases, including dengue fever, and early laboratory diagnosis is crucial to provide both appropriate treatments for patients and rapid control measures when an outbreak occurs. In 2011, we undertook a study to determine the incidence of leptospirosis in two territories (Guadeloupe and Martinique) in the French West Indies by establishing a surveillance network and implementing new diagnostic assays in order to ensure an exhaustive diagnostic analysis. We concluded that leptospirosis was previously significantly under-reported in the French West Indies and we recommended: 1- access to these new diagnostic tests for the entire population for a better detection of leptospirosis patients and, 2- the implementation of an integrated surveillance, alert and prevention system for the disease in this region. Our findings had raised the awareness of this neglected disease in the French West Indies and, as another consequence; new diagnostic tests are now reimbursed by the social security insurance in France
ISSN: 1935-2727
Droits : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
hal-01324701
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01324701 https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01324701/document https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01324701/file/journal.pntd.0004668.pdf DOI : 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004668