Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Dengue fever confirmed in Florida Keys as U.S. on watch for rise in mosquito illness


Dengue fever confirmed in Florida Keys as U.S. on watch for rise in mosquito illness
Michelle Marchante



Two people have fallen ill with dengue fever in the Florida Keys after being bit by infected mosquitoes, prompting health officials to issue an alert for the island chain.

The alert comes just days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory warning of an increased risk of dengue infections in the country as cases surge globally.

Dengue fever can cause flu-like symptoms “with severe muscle aches and joint pain, fever, and sometimes a rash,” according to the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes spread dengue to people through bites.

The two confirmed dengue cases in the Keys were locally acquired, according to the mosquito-borne illness alert issued Saturday by the health department. That means the infections are not associated with travel.

Miami-Dade, Pasco and Hillsborough counties have also reported locally acquired dengue cases this year, state data shows.

Monroe health officials say they’re working with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District to coordinate surveillance and prevention along the island chain. That includes more trapping and monitoring of mosquitoes, intensifying door-to-door mosquito inspections, and deploying aerial and truck-mounted mosquito spraying.

People are urged to take precautions, including draining and covering still water and using EPA-registered mosquito repellents, to reduce getting bit by the bloodsuckers.

The dengue cases in the Keys come just days after the CDC issued a health advisory alerting health care providers and public health officials of anincreased risk of dengue infections in the country this year. There’s been a record number of dengue cases globally this year, and the illness has surged in Latin American countries, with more than 9.7 million dengue cases reported so far in 2024, according to the CDC. That’s twice as many cases as in 2023.

Sweltering temperatures, stronger storms and “more erratic and frequent rainfall” are “contributing to outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses around the world,” according to Yale Climate Connections. These “warmer winters, hotter summers, and particularly milder springs and falls” are helping the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the species that spreads dengue, “to move into new areas and higher elevations that have historically been too harsh for their survival.”

And the U.S. has already seen more dengue cases then expected this year, with 2,241 cases reported from January through June 24, according to the CDC advisory. More then half of the cases were in Puerto Rico, which declared a public health emergency in March after seeing a rise in dengue infections during its low dengue season. Dr. Carlos Mellado López, the secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Health, said dengue cases had “surpassed historical figures.”


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