Description of the situation
17 January 1997
Disease Outbreak Reported
The Ministry of Health of France has notified PAHO of a measles outbreak in Guadeloupe. As of 15 January 1997, a total of 12 laboratory confirmed cases have been reported. Most cases have occurred among unvaccinated adolescents in the city of St. François, located approximately 20 km from Pointe-à-Pitre. Serological confirmation of measles infection has been performed at the Pasteur Institute in Guadeloupe and at the measles laboratory of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The first reported measles case had rash onset in mid-October 1997 and the most recent case had rash onset on 14 January 1997. The source of the outbreak is unknown. Outbreak response activities include heightened measles surveillance and the identification and vaccination of previously unvaccinated children and adolescents. PAHO recommends that all countries in the Caribbean enhance their surveillance efforts in order to rapidly detect measles importations. If suspected measles cases are detected, CAREC (Caribbean Epidemiology Centre) should be notified immediately.