Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis--St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, September-October 1998

Hurricane Georges struck the U.S. Virgin Islands on September 21, 1998. Immediately thereafter, health authorities on St. Croix (1998 population: approximately 50,000) became aware of increased numbers of cases of conjunctivitis. During September, one of the two public health clinics on the island recorded 88 cases of conjunctivitis, compared with three cases during August. Cases were characterized by periorbital swelling, excessive lacrimation, conjunctival redness with occasional hemorrhages, and foreign-body sensation in the eye. No severe sequelae were reported. Local ophthalmologists considered the symptoms characteristic of viral acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC). This report describes the initial findings of an ongoing clinical, epidemiologic, and laboratory investigation of this outbreak.