[Epidemiological surveillance of grippe and dengue. Réunion, 1996]. / Surveillance épidémiologique de la grippe et de la dengue. La Réunion, 1996.

The local Welfare and Health Authorities together with the country council of Reunion Island set up a medical supervision network for influenza and dengue fever in March 1996. Influenza of which the spreading over the island has never been well-researched is anticipated by a vaccination campaign organised in an empirical way after a model from the mother country (France). Dengue fever of which one of the vectors is omnipresent on the island ranged in an epidemic way in 1978. The aim of this network based on watching doctors, the laboratories of the island as well as the Pasteur Institute of Madagascar, is to adapt the prevention (Flu) and alert the Health Authorities in case of epidemic (Dengue). The article shows the results of 1996 observation and touches on the future of this type of supervision in a tropical environment.

[Seroprevalence of cysticercosis, taeniasis and swine infection on Réunion Island in 1992]. / Séroprévalence de la cysticercose, téniasis et ladrerie porcine, à La Réunion en 1992.

Cysticercosis is a parasitic disease commonly observed in developing countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Many cases involving cerebral injury have been reported on Reunion Island, a French department in the Indian Ocean. The present article describes the findings of a seroprevalence survey performed from September 1990 to May 1992 using an ELISA technique. Out of a total of 1010 individuals randomly selected from the voter registration records of the island's 24 polling districts, 993 agreed to be interviewed and undergo blood testing. Samples from 14 individuals were positive for cysticercosis, indicating a seroprevalence of 1.4% with 95% confidence interval from 0.7 to 2.1%. Seropositive individuals were evenly distributed throughout the island with no statistical difference regarding sex and age. A retrospective study showed that diagnosis of taeniasis was uncommon (less than 0.02% of stool examinations for parasites). Meat inspection records showed that no pork had be seized due to taeniasis since 1993 but raising of pigs by private citizens without veterinarian control is still widespread. Living conditions are improving and eradication of endemic cysticercosis seems achievable by enforcing zoning codes and educating people about the need for proper meat handling and treatment of taeniasis.

[Current malaria situation in Reunion (November 1994)]. / Situation actuelle du paludisme à la Réunion (novembre 1994).

Malaria appeared in Réunion in the middle of the 19th century. Since then until immediately after the second world war, the disease had developed so far as to represent one third of the reasons for medical consultations and one quarter of the deaths on the island. Starting in 1948, eradication campaigns were conducted with modern means of fighting malaria. These led to the disappearance of the native disease, officially recognized by the WHO in 1979.

[The maintenance of malaria eradication in Reunion island (1979-1990)]. / Le maintien de l'éradication du paludisme dans l'île de la Réunion (1979-1990).

Malaria, which first occurred in Reunion in 1868, was eradicated from the island in 1979, as a result of eradication campaigns conducted since 1949. Reunion is now in a state of "anophelism without malaria". However, relations with nearby countries with a high malaria potential (Madagascar, Comoros) are responsible for a regular increase in the number of annual cases of imported malaria. This increase, associated with the appearance of chloroquine-resistance in the Indian Ocean area, illustrates the persisting risk of malaria re-appearance in La Réunion, and the need for maintaining a control programme. After describing the epidemiological situation and the ecology of Anopheles gambiae s.l. on the island, the authors give detail on the organisation of malaria control as adopted by the health services. Continuing eradication, which puts emphasis on antivector measures as Reunion is considered as an area with "unstable" malaria, implies an annual invest of US $3,350,000, of which 77% is exclusively used for vector control.

[Effectiveness of mass chemotherapy campaigns with diethylcarbamazine on blood microfilaria of Wuchereria bancrofti in Mayotte]. / Action des campagnes de chimiothérapie de masse a la diéthylcarbamazine sur la microfilarémie de Wuchereria bancrofti a Mayotte.

An evaluation of the microfilarial index has been carried out in a randomised population, during April and May 1986, to determine the efficacy of long course mass chemotherapy. A single dose of DEC at 6 mg/kg was distributed to the whole population of the island, every 4 months, in 1985 and 1986. The survey was done three months after the treatment. 1,307 thick blood films have been collected in night-time. The prevalence of microfilaremia was 1.9% as compared with 17.1% in 1981 in the conditions. The control measures were considered as quite satisfactory, and it was decided to continue mass chemotherapy together with vector control.