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Objectives The management of infectious outbreaks in closed settings represents an important public health issue. An outbreak of acute febrile syndrome affecting 22 refugees resident at the Asylum Seekers Centre of Castelnuovo di Porto in Rome has been reported, and the preventive and control measures adopted have been described as an example of public health safety. Methods Pharyngeal swab and whole-blood samples were collected from 22 cases observed and analyzed for standard bacterial cultures and respiratory and herpesviruses by qualitative CLART PneumoVir2 and Entherpex microarray. Results A possible respiratory-transmitted etiology and a concomitant reactivation of multiple herpesviruses have been evidenced. The epidemiological investigation showed that the spread of the epidemic was promoted because patients were hosted in neighboring rooms or in the same room, facilitating the rapid spread of infectious disease. Conclusions The potential way of transmission was supposed, and preventive measures for infection control were adopted. The measures adopted are an example of best practice for outbreak management, and the microbiological surveillance is recommended for public health improvement., Highlights • Outbreak of acute febrile syndrome affecting refugees resident at an Italian Asylum Seeker Center. • Respiratory-transmitted etiology and a concomitant reactivation of multiple herpesviruses. • Spread of epidemic promoted by patients hosted in neighboring rooms or in the same room. • Preventive measures for infection control adopted to limit the outbreak. • Example of best practice for outbreak management.

Mayaro virus has been associated with small outbreaks in northern South America. We isolated this virus from a child with acute febrile illness in rural Haiti, confirming its role as a cause of mosquitoborne illness in the Caribbean region. The clinical presentation can mimic that of chikungunya, dengue, and Zika virus infections.

We report the detection and isolation of enterovirus D68 from the blood of a 6-year-old child in rural Haiti, who presented with high fever and clinical signs suggestive of pneumonia. On phylogenetic analysis, this Haitian isolate was virtually identical to an enterovirus D68 strain circulating in New York during the same time period.