Federal well being officers are warning that circumstances of dengue are rising greater than anticipated this 12 months within the U.S. amid a file variety of international circumstances of the mosquito-borne illness.
As of Monday, there have been greater than 9.7 million dengue circumstances reported within the Americas, which is twice as many reported in all of 2023, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention stated in a health advisory issued Tuesday.
Within the U.S., there have been 2,241 confirmed circumstances to date, compared to 3,036 throughout all of 2023. This 12 months’s complete consists of 1,498 circumstances in Puerto Rico, which declared a public well being emergency in March, a month that’s traditionally a low-dengue season.
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The overwhelming majority of dengue circumstances within the continental U.S. will happen in vacationers who have been contaminated by a mosquito whereas visiting areas with a threat of dengue. These areas are usually in tropical and subtropical areas, the place dengue transmission peaks throughout the hotter and wetter months, the CDC stated.
“Dengue circumstances are more likely to enhance as international temperatures enhance,” the CDC stated. “Increased temperatures can increase the vary of the mosquitoes that unfold dengue, in addition to have an effect on different components that facilitate virus transmission like quicker viral amplification within the mosquito, elevated vector survival, and modifications in copy and biting charges.”
Florida has seen probably the most circumstances this 12 months, with 197 reported, whereas New York has seen the second-highest, with 134, in accordance to the CDC.
Final 12 months, there have been 179 domestically acquired circumstances in Florida, in accordance with CDC data. Native transmissions have additionally previously been seen in Hawaii, Texas, Arizona and California.
The Florida Division of Well being last week reported a domestically acquired case of dengue in Hillsborough County, which is in Tampa.
The illness can take as much as two weeks to develop, with sickness typically lasting lower than every week. Its symptoms include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, rash, muscle and joint ache, and minor bleeding.
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Extreme circumstances can develop inside a number of hours of transmission and they’re going to often require hospitalization. Most extreme circumstances contain hemorrhage, shock, organ failure and dying.
Well being officers advise the general public to make use of mosquito repellents throughout and instantly after journey to areas with dengue transmission and to put on loose-fitting, long-sleeved pants and shirts to stop bites.
Stagnant outside water must also be dumped or drained to scale back mosquito egg-laying websites.
