California dengue: State total of local transmission rises to 6 as San Diego reports 1st ever case
In a follow-up on the situation with locally-acquired dengue fever in California, the San Diego County government reports the first ever case of locally acquired dengue.
The case is a resident of Escondido who became sick with dengue did not travel to an area where the mosquito transmitted illness is common.
This brings the state’s total count of locally acquired dengue to six year to date (5 cases in LA County).
San Diego County Vector Control began spraying last weekend for mosquitos at about 170 homes in Escondido.
Since the invasive Aedes mosquitoes were first detected in San Diego County in 2014, there had been no locally acquired case of dengue until now.
People who travel to countries where dengue is common can get infected with dengue through mosquito bites. So far this year, there have been 49 cases of travel-related dengue in San Diego County.
“While the risk of widespread transmission of dengue remains low in San Diego County, County Public Health and Vector Control are working closely to respond quickly to prevent mosquitoes from spreading the illness in this area,” said Dr. Ankita Kadakia, County interim public health officer.
In the continental United States, 51 total locally acquired dengue cases have been reported (45 in Florida) year to date.