Florida dengue: Additional local case reported in Miami-Dade County
The Florida Department of Health reported one additional locally transmitted dengue fever during the past week.
The latest case was reported in Miami-Dade County, making it the sixth indigenous case in the state this year and the fifth in Miami-Dade County. The other local case was reported in Pasco County.
Of the six cases, five have been determined to be serotype DENV-3 and the sixth case is unknown as to its serotype.
138 cases with onset in 2024 have been reported in individuals with travel history to a dengue-endemic area in the two weeks prior to onset.
Nearly half (64) were reported in Miami-Dade County. Cuba was the country of origin for 41 of the travel associated cases and Brazil accounted for 30 of the cases.
Dengue infection is acquired through the bite of certain species of mosquitoes, primarily Aedes aegypti, but also Aedes albopictus, both of which are present in Florida.
Dengue fever can be a painful, debilitating disease but is rarely fatal. Symptoms appear 3-14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito and include sudden onset of fever, severe headache, eye pain, muscle and joint pain (giving the disease the nickname "breakbone fever"), and bleeding. Gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea may also be present in some cases. Dengue fever symptoms usually lasts 4-7 days. The disease is often diagnosed incorrectly because the symptoms are similar to influenza and other viruses.
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Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a rare but more severe form of dengue infection that can be fatal if not recognized and treated with supportive care. The primary risk factor for hemorrhagic fever is previous infection with a different dengue serotype (i.e. getting DENV-2 if you have already DENV-1 puts you at increased risk of hemorrhagic fever).
There is no treatment for dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever, but quick recognition and management of symptoms and complications is effective at preventing deaths.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine, Dengvaxia, the first vaccine approved for the prevention of dengue disease caused by all dengue virus serotypes (1, 2, 3 and 4) in people ages 9 through 16 who have laboratory-confirmed previous dengue infection and who live in endemic areas. Dengue is endemic in the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.