California: 1st case of locally acquired dengue reported in San Bernardino County
The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health has confirmed the county’s first locally acquired case of dengue fever in the city of San Bernardino. Most dengue cases typically seen in the county are associated with travel to areas where the virus is more common.
To date in California, 12 cases of local transmission have been reported in Los Angeles County (Baldwin Park-8, Panorama City-1, El Monte-2, and Hollywood Hills-1), two cases in San Diego County and one in San Bernardino County.
“Dengue can cause a serious illness in humans; therefore, I urge residents to take precautions to protect themselves against mosquito bites,” said San Bernardino County Health Officer Michael A. Sequeira, M.D.
Dengue virus is typically spread when a person is bitten by an infected Aedes mosquito. When a mosquito bites someone who has dengue virus in their blood, the mosquito itself becomes infected and can later transmit the virus to healthy individuals through future bites. While most individuals will not experience symptoms, those bitten by an infected mosquito may develop dengue fever and experience aches and pain (such as eye pain, typically behind the eyes, muscle, joint, or bone pain), nausea, vomiting and a rash.
Most symptoms last about a week, with full recovery usually occurring within two weeks. If you have been bitten by a mosquito and are experiencing these symptoms, contact your medical care provider.