Emergence and endemicity of arboviruses in Haiti: a review

The increase in geographical spread of arboviruses and the incidence of arboviral diseases of humans is a rising public health concern, particularly in the context of ongoing population movements, climate change, and challenges to public health surveillance systems in countries where many of these viruses are endemic. We present here a scoping review and a synopsis of the existing literature on arboviruses that have been reported in Haiti, identify existing challenges in public health surveillance, and discuss the implications for Haiti, the Caribbean, and the Americas.

A scoping review of publications reporting arboviral infections among Haitians and returning travelers from Haiti, non-human vertebrates, or arthropod vectors was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Titles and abstracts screening, and full text reviews were performed independently by two reviewers.

A total of 556 articles were retrieved from 6 different databases, only 36 satisfied the inclusion criteria for this scoping review. At least 12 arboviruses associated with human diseases, including 11 mosquito-borne and one biting midge-borne, are or have been present in Haiti.

Genetic data, where available, is consistent with ongoing movement of arboviruses within the Caribbean and South America. Where reliable, advance molecular approaches have been used, new and unexpected arboviruses have been identified, highlighting the importance of such diagnostic approaches for enhancing public health surveillance for endemic and new pathogens in Haiti.