Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD BioMed Central
Résumé : International audience
BACKGROUND:In French Guiana, a French overseas territory in South America, 6 to 10 thousands undocumented persons work illegally in gold mining sites in the Amazonian forest. Precarious life conditions lead to poor health but few data exist on the health status of illegal gold miners in French Guiana. The objective of this article was to describe the sociodemographic and health status of this vulnerable population.METHOD:A prospective cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015 on gold mine supply sites at the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Health status was assessed through medical examination, past medical history, haemoglobin concentration, and HIV and malaria testing. A questionnaire was used to collect data about the migration itinerary and life conditions on mining sites.RESULTS:Among the 421 adults included in the study, 93.8% (395/421) were Brazilian, mainly from Maranhão (55.7%, 220/395), the poorest Brazilian state. The sex ratio was 2.4. Overall, 48% of persons never went to school or beyond the primary level. The median time spent in gold mining was quite long (10 years), with a high turn-over. One third of the surveyed population (37.1%, 156/421) had high blood pressure, and only two had a medical follow-up. Most persons had experienced malaria (89.3%, 376/421). They declared frequent arboviroses and digestive disorders. Active leishmaniasis was observed in 8.3% of gold miners. Among women, 28.5% were anemic. Concerning HIV, 36.6% (154/421) of persons, mainly men, never got tested before and 6 were tested positive, which represented an HIV prevalence of 1.43% (95%CI =0.29-2.5).CONCLUSION:These findings support the hypothesis that mining in remote areas is linked to several specific illnesses. Theoretically, gold miners would be presumed to start their economical migration to French Guiana as a healthy group. However, their strenuous working and living conditions there lead to poor health caused by infectious and non infectious diseases. This description of their health status is precious for health policy planners in French Guiana given the importance of controlling communicable disease, and the severity and range of specific illnesses acquired by this neglected population.TRIAL REGISTRATION:Clinical trial registration PRS N° NCT02903706 . Retrospectively registered 09/13/2016.
ISSN: 1471-2458

inserm-01566314
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01566314
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01566314/document
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01566314/file/2017%2C%20Douine%20-%20Illegal%20gold%20miners%20in%20French%20Guiana.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62169-1

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Saint-Maurice (Val de Marne) : Institut de veille sanitaire
Résumé : National audience
Introduction – Le nombre d’accès palustres diminue globalement en Guyane, alors que les orpailleurs travaillantsur les sites illégaux semblent particulièrement touchés par cette pathologie. Les objectifs de cette étudeétaient de déterminer la prévalence du paludisme dans cette population, les comportements associés ainsi quele niveau de résistance des parasites vis-à-vis des dérivés de l’artémisinine.Matériel et méthodes – Les inclusions ont eu lieu sur les sites de repli fréquentés par les orpailleurs le long dufleuve Maroni. Ont été effectués : un test de diagnostic rapide du paludisme, un questionnaire, un prélèvementsanguin pour PCR et un génotypage du gène pfK13 pour les PCR positives à Plasmodium falciparum.Résultats – De janvier à juin 2015, 421 orpailleurs ont été inclus, majoritairement des hommes (70,6%) brésiliens(93,8%). La prévalence du portage de plasmodies déterminée par PCR était en moyenne de 22,3%(IC95%: [18,3-26,3]), à 84% asymptomatiques. Les espèces identifiées étaient principalement P. falciparum(47,9%) puis P. vivax (37,2%), plus 10,6% de co-infections. Lors du dernier accès palustre, 52,4% des orpailleursavaient eu recours à l’automédication, majoritairement avec des dérivés de l’artémisinine (93,8%) avecune mauvaise observance (37,8%). L’analyse du gène pfK13 n’a pas mis en évidence de mutations associéesà la résistance à P. falciparumDiscussion – La prévalence élevée de porteurs asymptomatiques de plasmodies constitue un réservoir importantde transmission dans la région. L’utilisation massive de dérivés de l’artémisinine associée à une mauvaise observancedes traitements sont des facteurs de risque d’émergence de résistance imposant des mesures rapides
ISSN: 0245-7466

inserm-01491193
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01491193
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01491193/document
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01491193/file/2017%2C%20Douine%20-%20Paludisme%20et%20orpaillage%20ill%C3%A9gal%20en%20Guyane.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Résumé : International audience
Cervical cancer is the second most frequent cancer in women in French Guiana. Studies have shown that populations living in the remote areas of the interior have early sexual debut and that multiple sexual partnerships are common. The objective of the present study was thus to determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in these areas. A study was conducted in women aged 20-65 years with previous sexual activity. Women were included on a voluntary basis after using local media and leaders to inform them of the visit of the team. HPV infection was defined by the detection of HPV DNA using the Greiner Bio-One kit. In addition to HPV testing cytology was performed. The overall age-standardized prevalence rate was 35%. There was a U-shaped evolution of HPV prevalence by age with women aged >50 years at highest risk for HPV, followed by the 20-29 years group. Twenty-seven percent of women with a positive HPV test had normal cytology. Given the high incidence of cervical cancer in French Guiana and the high prevalence of HPV infections the present results re-emphasize the need for screening for cervical cancer in these remote areas. Vaccination against HPV, preferably with a nonavalent vaccine, also seems an important prevention measure. However, in this region where a large portion of the population has no health insurance, this still represents a challenge.
ISSN: 0950-2688

inserm-01476015
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01476015
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01476015/document
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01476015/file/High%20prevalence%20HPV%20infection%20in%20women%20living%20in%20the%20remote%20territories%20of%20French%20Guiana%20STD.pdf
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01476015/file/Table%203.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD BioMed Central
Résumé : International audience
BackgroundMalaria is endemic in French Guiana, an overseas territory of France on the Guiana Shield. Since 2005, notified malaria cases are decreasing. However, new data show that malaria affects many Brazilian gold miners working illegally in French Guiana, the majority of whom are not counted in official data. In addition, one major concern is the usual practice of improper self-treatment in this mining population, raising fear of the development of antimalarial resistance. This prospective study, conducted in 2015, aimed to estimate the prevalence of Plasmodium spp. in illegal gold miners working in French Guiana. MethodsThe recruitment of gold miners was carried out in resting sites along the French Guiana-Suriname border, where they go for supplies, medical care or leisure. After recording agreement, three malaria diagnostic methods were performed: rapid diagnostic test, microscopy and PCR,ResultsAmong 421 persons recruited in the study, malaria prevalence, detected by nested-PCR, was 22.3% (CI=[18.3-26.3], n=94/421) of which 84% were asymptomatic. ConclusionThis significant malaria reservoir in a mobile and illegal population with difficult access to a health care system raises the threat of artemisinin resistance and puts the population of the Guiana Shield at risk of new transmission foci while countries of the region aim at malaria elimination. Even though French legislation may hamper dealing with this population, France must face the reality of malaria in illegal gold miners in order to meet its commitment to malaria elimination.
ISSN: 1475-2875

hal-01346800
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01346800
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01346800/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01346800/file/2016%2C%20Douine%20-%20Prevalence%20of%20Plasmodium%20spp.%20in%20illegal%20gold%20miners%20in%20French%20Guiana%20in%202015.pdf
DOI : 10.1186/s12936-016-1367-6