Anne Jolivet

Knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and practices differences regarding HIV in populations living along the Maroni river: particularities of operational interest for Amerindian and Maroon populations

The Maroni basin, an isolated region delineating the border between Suriname and French Guiana has been affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic 10 years after coastal French Guiana. However, the rise in HIV prevalence was sharp, exceeding 1% within 10 years. The aim of the present study is to compare, using the first quantitative data from the general population in remote villages, the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding HIV between Maroon and Amerindian populations, the two most frequent populations living along the Maroni. Data were collected in 2012 using a structured questionnaire among a random sample of 896 individuals residing in the remote villages on the Maroni river. Proportions were compared between the Maroni and the coastal general population, and between Maroon and Amerindian populations. The present study shows significant differences between territories and between communities living on the Maroni river: the multiple sexual partnerships, more common among population living on the Maroni river, were more frequently reported in Maroons than in Amerindians. Condom use was more frequently reported among men on the Maroni river than on the coast, but these findings were reversed for women. Moreover, among people living on the Maroni river, condom use was more frequently reported among Maroons than among Amerindians. Regarding genital factors that may affect transmission, penile implant seemed to have no ethnic boundaries, steam baths seemed specific to Maroon women. The present results should help to improve community-based specific interventions.

Fever in hospitalized HIV-infected patients in Western French Guiana: first think histoplasmosis

Summary In Western French Guiana, there was a dramatic increase in HIV prevalence between 1990 and 2000. The present study describes the causes of fever among HIV patients hospitalized in the medical ward of the only hospital in the western part of French Guiana. A retrospective descriptive study was conducted between 1 January 2008 and 30 June 2010 in the department of medicine of Saint Laurent du Maroni Hospital. The main characteristics of 67 patients having presented with fever in the first 48 hours of hospitalization were described. Among patients with CD4 <200/mm3 the main febrile opportunistic infection was disseminated histoplasmosis (41.1%). Among patients with CD4 counts <50/mm3 and fever without focal points 85.7% had disseminated histoplasmosis. Three patients died and all had disseminated histoplasmosis. Disseminated histoplasmosis is the most common febrile opportunistic infection in western French Guiana. Primary prophylaxis with itraconazole among immunocompromised patients seems warranted.

Prevalence and predictive factors of stigmatizing attitudes towards people living with HIV in the remote villages on the Maroni River in French Guiana.

Abstract The Maroni basin, an isolated region which lies between Suriname and French Guiana, has been affected by the HIV epidemic 10 years after coastal French Guiana. However, the rise in HIV prevalence was sharp with a prevalence exceeding 1% within 10 years. Stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV (PLWHIV) or “suspected to have HIV” is rampant as reported by health professionals or non-governmental organisations. The objective of this article is to present the first quantitative data from the general population of this region on stigma towards people living with HIV. Data were collected in 2012 by a structured questionnaire among a random sample of 896 individuals residing in remote villages on the Maroni River. Proportion comparisons between the Maroni sample and the sample from the general population on the coastline in 2011 were conducted. Simple and multivariate logistic regression models were used to predict stigmatising attitudes. For all situations involving PLWHIV, the proportion of negative attitudes was significantly higher on the Maroni than in coastal French Guiana (p < 0.001). Findings indicate that the different levels of knowledge, erroneous beliefs and poor situation (not having electricity in ones home; not having French health insurance) were associated with stigmatising attitudes. The present data could help both sides coordinate interventions both at the individual level by improving knowledge and at the community level to change norms in order to reduce stigma and discrimination aiming for increased impact.

Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs and Practices on HIV/AIDS among Boatmen on the Maroni River: A Neglected Bridging Group?

In French Guiana, the prevalence of HIV among pregnant women along the Maroni river, has risen from 0 to over 1% in the 1990s. Despite this sharp increase, no behavioural surveillance study has ever taken place in this border region. The present study showed that an important proportion of boatmen have risky sexual behaviour. These results underline the importance of targeting prevention interventions on this population that is not currently receiving specific HIV prevention messages.

Paid HIV rapid testing in general medicine private practice in French Guiana: a pilot project

French Guiana has long been the French territory most affected by HIV (Ministry of Health, 2010). Persons unaware of their HIV infection have a preponderant role in the infection of new sexual partners.1 Too often, HIV-infected persons unaware of their infections repeatedly come in contact with physicians without being offered an HIV test.2 In French Guiana, private practitioners perform 70% of all HIV tests and diagnose 45% of new HIV patients.3 Following the national recommendations to do an HIV test each year for every one having sexual relations in French Guiana,4,5 a pilot project using rapid HIV tests in the private practice was developed by the Reseau Kikiwi, a network of health professionals involved in HIV care and testing. The objective here is to present this experience and its evaluation.

Population movements and the HIV cascade in recently diagnosed patients at the French Guiana -Suriname border

ABSTRACT Border areas are particular “hot spots” generating high levels of HIV vulnerability and facing great challenges to control epidemics. The objective of this study is to describe the sociodemographic, clinical and biological profiles of newly HIV diagnosed people at the French Guiana - Suriname border, to construct an HIV care cascade and compare it with the Surinamese one. HIV-patients aged over 15 years newly diagnosed in western French Guiana in 2011 and 2012 were included in a retrospective cohort study. Patients were identified using different sources (n = 121). The male-to-female ratio was 0.8, 85% of the patients were of foreign origin, 72% were undocumented migrants, 21% were living in Suriname and 48% had baseline CD4 cell counts <200 cells/mm3. After one year, 34% were lost to follow-up, 54% received treatment, 34% had controlled viremia and 6% died. We observed a disappointing HIV cascade, like that of Suriname, requiring to develop a coordinated healthcare offer on both sides of the border. Targeted efforts through a bi-national collaboration are needed to address the specific issues of cross-border patients to reach the 90*3 UNAIDSs diagnosis, link to care and treatment targets and better control the local epidemic.

Incidence of infantile Pompe disease in the Maroon population of French Guiana

Objectives The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of infantile Pompe disease (IPD) in French Guiana, a French overseas territory, by combining a retrospective case records study and a prospective anonymous genotyping in a sample of mothers followed in the two major maternity units of French Guiana. Methods We identified 19 newborns with IPD born within a 13-year-period in French Guiana, corresponding to 1/4528 births. All children were born within the African-American Maroon (Bushinengue) community originating from slaves who settled along the Maroni river in the 19th century. We also performed an anonymised screening for all women in postpartum, in the two main maternity units of French Guiana. Results Genetic investigations revealed that all patients with IPD were homozygotes or compound heterozygotes for two known pathogenic variations: c.2560C>T p.(Arg854*) that has already been reported in African-Americans and c.1942G>A p.(Gly648Ser), a rare previously considered to be variant. We identified no heterozygotes among 453 mothers of various ethnicities in Cayenne, but 15 heterozygotes among 425 mothers (1/27) in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (95% CI 1/45 to 1/17), all from the Maroon community, which corresponds to an expected IPD incidence in Maroons of 1/1727 (95% CI 1/1156 to 1/8100). Conclusion The incidence of IPD in the Maroon community is roughly 50 times higher than elsewhere in the world. The presence of only two different variants in all affected patients is compatible with a double founder effect in a relatively small population that has seldom mixed with other regional populations in the past and therefore has a reduced pool of genotypes.

Blood lead levels and risk factors for lead exposure among pregnant women in western French Guiana: the role of manioc consumption

ABSTRACT Concerns regarding lead (Pb) poisoning in French Guiana first arose in 2011 following the discovery of excessively high levels of the metal amongst children in a small neighborhood without any apparent source of Pb. Since 2012, blood lead level (BLL) measurement has been proposed for all pregnant women in western French Guiana. The aim of this study was to determine BLL in pregnant women in this region and identify factors associated with elevated BLL. An observational study of a consecutive sample of women who delivered in the maternity ward of the hospital was conducted. Risk factors were investigated using a questionnaire administered postdelivery by midwives (N = 531). Approximately 25 and 5% of women displayed BLL of ≥50 μg/L and ≥100 µg/L, respectively. The geometric mean was 32.6 μg/L. Factors that were significantly associated with an elevated BLL after modeling (multivariate linear regression) included place of residence along the Maroni river, low level of education, daily consumption of manioc derivatives, weekly and daily consumption or personal preparation of manioc flour during pregnancy, and weekly consumption of wild game. This study provides insight into the regional and social disparities in BLL in French Guiana and potential sources of exposure. Evidence indicates that foods that are primarily produced and consumed in the Guiana Shield significantly affect BLL levels. Taken together with existing data, our results demonstrate that specific actions in terms of prevention, screening, and care are required to be adapted and put into place in order to reduce exposure.

Shigellosis and Pregnancy in French Guiana: Obstetric and Neonatal Complications

Shigella is a major cause of dysentery worldwide. Only a few cases of shigellosis during pregnancy have been reported. However, the neonatal and obstetric complications are potentially severe. The objective of this study was to describe the obstetric and neonatal complications of shigellosis during pregnancy. We carried out a retrospective study of 37 cases of shigellosis diagnosed in pregnant women at the maternity unit of Saint-Laurent du Maroni Hospital in west French Guiana between 2000 and 2014. Shigellosis diagnosis was based on the detection of Shigella in stool cultures from pregnant women (34 patients) or in a neonatal sample collected immediately after delivery (three neonates). In addition to the classic symptoms of shigellosis-an association of diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain-we observed uterine contractions before the completion of 37 weeks of gestation in 61% of patients (N = 17/28). Cervical changes were associated with uterine contractions in 82% of cases (N = 14/17); 25% of the patients at risk of preterm birth went on to give birth prematurely (N = 3/12). Three cases of mother-to-child transmission were observed. Episodes of shigellosis in pregnant women may trigger uterine contractions and changes to the cervix, potentially resulting in miscarriage or preterm birth.

High mortality due to snakebites in French Guiana: Time has come to re-evaluate medical management protocols

1 CIC Inserm 1424 Antilles Guyane, Centre Hospitalier Andrée Rosemon, Cayenne, French Guiana, 2 Emergency Department, Centre Hospitalier Andrée Rosemon, Cayenne, French Guiana, 3 Emergency Department, Centre Hospitalier de l’Ouest Guyanais, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana, 4 Ecosystèmes Amazoniens et Pathologie Tropicale, Université de Guyane, Cayenne, French Guiana, 5 French Red Cross, Cayenne, French Guiana, 6 Department of Public Health, Centre Hospitalier de l’Ouest Guyanais, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana, 7 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Centre Hospitalier de l’Ouest Guyanais, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana, 8 Pharmacy, Centre Hospitalier de l’Ouest Guyanais, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana, 9 Poison Control Center, Angers University Hospital, Angers, France, 10 Medical Biology Department, Hôpital d’Instruction Des Armées Bégin, Paris, France, 11 CERPAGE, Faculté des Sciences de la Santé, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Bénin, 12 Mère et enfant face aux infections tropicales and PRES Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Descartes, Faculté de Pharmacie, Paris, France, 13 Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department, Centre Hospitalier Andrée Rosemon, Cayenne, French Guiana