Florida local dengue cases top 150 in 2023
Six additional cases in Miami-Dade County and six in Hardee County
Twelve cases of locally acquired dengue were reported the week ending November 25, according to the Florida Department of Health.
The twelve cases were reported from Miami-Dade (6) and Hardee counties (6).
In 2023, 154 cases of locally acquired dengue have been reported in Broward (4), Hardee (9), Miami-Dade (139), Palm Beach, and Polk counties.
In all of 2022, Florida saw 68 locally acquired dengue cases.
The state has also reported 477 travel-associated dengue fever cases this year.
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.