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Health officials with the CDC issued warnings on Tuesday, June 25, of an increased dengue fever risk. Cases have been reported across the U.S. but Florida has more than their fair share. Most of the cases on America’s statistics sheet are in Puerto Rico but they’re an isolated tropical island.
Dengue fever carried by mosquitoes
Authorities, health care providers and the general public were all alerted by health officials that there’s an “increased risk of dengue fever infections.”
Because the virus is spread by mosquitoes, the idea is to focus on eliminating them first.
Epidemics of the strain have been surging worldwide and the past six months have been breaking report records around the planet. As noted in the bulletin released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “doctors should know the symptoms.” One would hope.
DENGUE VIRUS – CDC warns of increased risk of Dengue Fever infections in U.S. as Puerto Rico has declared a public health emergency (1,498 cases) and a high number of dengue cases have been identified among U.S. travelers (745 cases) in 2024.
Dengue fever has a mortality rate of… pic.twitter.com/XDxNeG4xVA
— McCullough Foundation (@McCulloughFund) June 28, 2024
Medical care providers are encouraged to “ask questions about where patients recently traveled.” They shouldn’t be shy about “ordering dengue tests when appropriate.”
So far this year, there’s been a total of 2,241 dengue cases reported. More than half of those were in Puerto Rico with 1,498. Things are so bad there “a public health emergency was declared in March.” Florida is next in line.
The state has “the most reported cases in the continental U.S., with most of those cases in Miami-Dade County and at least 13 cases in Palm Beach County.”
Watch out for travelers
According to infectious disease specialist Dr. Leslie Diaz, “most dengue fever (cases) are acquired through travelers. People that go to areas that is endemic there. They acquire it by a bite of a mosquito and they travel back home here.”
The good news is that the disease isn’t as bad as it sounds.
Lets say you’ve just been bitten by a mosquito. Even if it did infect you with the dengue fever virus, that doesn’t mean you’ll feel sick. If you notice anything, it will probably be “headache, fever, and flu-like symptoms.”
Tips To Prevent Dengue#health #Dengue #DengueFever pic.twitter.com/W5KgKRvBG3
— The Health Affairs (@TheHealthAff) June 29, 2024
That doesn’t mean it’s harmless. “Severe cases can involve serious bleeding, shock, and death. Repeated infections can be especially dangerous.”
An ounce of prevention, they say, is worth a pound of dengue fever cure. As related by Dr. Diaz, “awareness is the key. I’m gonna put my mosquito repellent on when I go outside. Or I’m gonna wear loose, cool clothing that are long-sleeved. Those are the things that you have to have in mind when you travel.”
Even if you’re only traveling as far as the backyard patio.
