Dengue Vaccine Strategy in Children Aged 9 to 17 Years in the French Caribbean

Dengue fever, an arbovirus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, is a public health problem in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world. There is currently no antiviral treatment and vector control has shown its limits. The 2018 European marketing authorization of the tetravalent chimeric yellow fever / dengue vaccine (Dengvaxia®) is a major step forward in the fight against the disease. Dengvaxia® is indicated for the prevention of dengue due to serotypes DENV 1-4 in subjects aged 9 to 45 years with a history of infection with the dengue virus and living in endemic areas (seroprevalence of at least 70% in the target population).

Dengue seroprevalence data in the French Caribbean territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe dates back to 2011 and concerns only adult blood donors aged 18 to 70 years. To date, no data exists for individuals aged 9 to 17 years in the region.

In order to implement an optimal vaccine introduction strategy for these territories, the main aim of the DengueSEA study is to estimate the seroprevalence of the Dengue viruses (DENV 1-4) in 9-17 year olds giving a blood sample as part of care in hospital departments of the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe.