ABSTRACT
The Asian tiger mosquito Stegomyia albopicta (= Aedes albopictus) (Diptera: Culicidae), native to Asian forests, is a nuisance mosquito and is responsible for the transmission of arboviruses of public health importance, such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. It has colonized parts of all continents, except Antarctica, over the past 30-40 years. However, to date, the only records of S. albopicta in North Africa refer to occasional collections in 2010 and 2014 in Algeria. In early September 2015, S. albopicta larvae and adults were collected in a district of Rabat, Morocco. Morphological identification was confirmed by molecular analysis. This is the first record of this invasive mosquito in Morocco. A national surveillance programme will be implemented in 2016 to establish its geographical distribution in Morocco and to instigate control measures to prevent the establishment of new populations and the transmission of arboviruses.
Subject(s)
Aedes/physiology , Animal Distribution , Insect Vectors/physiology , Aedes/growth & development , Animals , Female , Larva/genetics , Larva/physiology , Male , Morocco , Public HealthABSTRACT
PURPOSES: To study and to compare the prevalence of infection with the virus A(H1N1)pdm 2009 in the population of two regions of Morocco compared to preexisting antibody levels. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 300 and 200 serum samples were collected in the region of Rabat and Meknes respectively. Samples were collected during March to April 2011. One hundred and fifty sera, collected in 2007 from blood donors, were recovered from the blood center. The research for antibodies to influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 was performed by hemagglutination inhibition assay. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of antibodies inhibiting hemagglutination at the Rabat region (67%) is significantly higher than that of Meknes (53%) while the rate of cross-reactive antibodies was 7.3%. The subjects under 25 years from the Rabat region have infection rates as high with an odds ratio of 2.45. Individuals with comorbidities have the lowest prevalence with an odds ratio of 0.61. The rate of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccination in the Rabat region is 7%. CONCLUSIONS: Immunization rates of the Moroccan population will prevent the occurrence of large outbreaks in the year 2011 to 2012 but the persistence of a naive population justifies the continuation of vaccination against A(H1N1)pdm09.
Subject(s)
Influenza, Human/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Cohort Studies , Female , Geography , Humans , Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype/immunology , Influenza, Human/blood , Influenza, Human/immunology , Male , Middle Aged , Morocco/epidemiology , Pandemics , Seasons , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Vaccination/statistics & numerical data , Young AdultABSTRACT
On 12 June 2009, Morocco was the first country in North Africa to report a laboratory-confirmed case of influenza A(H1N1)2009 virus infection. This study describes the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 240 laboratory-confirmed cases among 594 outpatients with influenza-like illness at the Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital, Rabat, from 12 June to 24 December 2009. Real-time reverse transcription-PCR was used to confirm the infection. The epidemic peaked in weeks 47 to 49 (16 November to 6 December 2009). The mean age of cases was 23 years (standard deviation: 14 years). Cough was the most common symptom in 200 cases (83%), followed by fever (≥38 °C) in 195 (81%). Diarrhoea or vomiting was reported in 12 (5%) patients. None of the cases developed any complications and no deaths occurred during the study period.
