A tree hiding a forest : an outbreak of influenza and shigellosis in a gold miner camp in the tropical forest of French Guiana , March 2013 Emilie Mosnier

In March 2013, in French Guiana, there was an infectious disease outbreak with diarrhoea and a respiratory syndrome in a gold miner camp in the forest. Since one patient had died, and given the possibility of emerging pathogens, 11 patients with severe symptoms were hospitalised in Cayenne hospital, and epidemiological, clinical examination and microbiologic data were investigated. Results showed that in fact there was no single pathogen. H1N1 influenza virus infections associated with many parasitic, bacterial or viral co-infections with notably 3 cases of diarrheal disease caused by Shigella flexnieri and 7 cases of ankylostomiasis. The presence of these pathogens and their association reflect the precarious health conditions and significant overcrowding in existing camps. The severity of the clinical picture presented was primarily due to co-infection. The diversity of parasitic, viral and bacterial co-infections indicates the complexity of delivering medical care to the remote illegal goldmines.