Four additional locally acquired dengue cases reported in Florida
New cases reported in Miami-Dade, Hillsborough and Pasco counties
Florida state health officials reported four additional locally transmitted dengue infections during the first week of December.
New cases were reported in Miami-Dade (2), Hillsborough and Pasco counties. This brings the total cases to 74 this year.
The cases are distributed as follows: Broward (2), Hillsborough (5), Manatee, Miami-Dade (46), Monroe (3), Orange (2), Palm Beach (3), Pasco (10), Polk, and Sarasota counties.
Sixty cases have been serotyped by PCR, with 50 typing as DENV-3.
In addition, 35 more travel-associated dengue cases were reported, bringing the total to 859 this year.
Until 2009, there were no reports of dengue acquired in Florida since 1934. In 2009 -2010, an outbreak of dengue was identified in Key West. A total 22 persons were identified with dengue fever in Key West during the summer and fall of 2009. In 2010, 66 cases of locally acquired dengue associated with Key West were reported in Florida with onset dates between March and November 2010.
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Local transmission of dengue has been reported regularly in Florida ever since.
Dengue fever is an important mosquito-borne disease worldwide. 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.
It is caused by four related dengue viruses (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, DEN-4) that are related to the viruses that cause West Nile infection and yellow fever.
In the United States, 90 locally acquired dengue cases have been reported:
Miami-Dade County, Florida 46
Los Angeles County, California 12
Pasco County, Florida 10
Hillsborough County, Florida 5
Palm Beach County, Florida 3
Monroe County, Florida 3
San Diego County, California 2
Broward County, Florida 2
Orange County, Florida 2
Cameron County, Texas 1
San Bernardino County, California 1
Manatee County, Florida 1
Polk County, Florida 1
Sarasota County, Florida 1
There was also 5056 cases reported in Puerto Rico and 169 cases in the US Virgin Islands.