Federal well being officers are warning that circumstances of dengue are rising greater than anticipated this yr within the U.S. amid a report variety of international circumstances of the mosquito-borne illness.
As of Monday, there have been greater than 9.7 million dengue circumstances reported within the Americas, which is twice as many reported in all of 2023, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention stated in a well being advisory issued Tuesday.
Within the U.S., there have been 2,241 confirmed circumstances thus far, in comparison with 3,036 throughout all of 2023. This yr’s whole contains 1,498 circumstances in Puerto Rico, which declared a public well being emergency in March, a month that’s traditionally a low-dengue season.
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The overwhelming majority of dengue circumstances within the continental U.S. will happen in vacationers who have been contaminated by a mosquito whereas visiting areas with a threat of dengue. These areas are sometimes in tropical and subtropical areas, the place dengue transmission peaks through the hotter and wetter months, the CDC stated.
“Dengue cases are likely to increase as global temperatures increase,” the CDC stated. “Higher temperatures can expand the range of the mosquitoes that spread dengue, as well as affect other factors that facilitate virus transmission like faster viral amplification in the mosquito, increased vector survival, and changes in reproduction and biting rates.”
Florida has seen probably the most circumstances this yr, with 197 reported, whereas New York has seen the second-highest, with 134, in accordance to the CDC.
Final yr, there have been 179 domestically acquired circumstances in Florida, in accordance with CDC information. Native transmissions have additionally beforehand been seen in Hawaii, Texas, Arizona and California.
The Florida Division of Health final week reported a domestically acquired case of dengue in Hillsborough County, which is in Tampa.
The illness can take as much as two weeks to develop, with sickness typically lasting lower than every week. Its signs embrace fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, rash, muscle and joint ache, and minor bleeding.
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Extreme circumstances can develop inside just a few hours of transmission and they’re going to normally require hospitalization. Most extreme circumstances contain hemorrhage, shock, organ failure and loss of life.
Health officers advise the general public to make use of mosquito repellents throughout and instantly after journey to areas with dengue transmission and to put on loose-fitting, long-sleeved pants and shirts to forestall bites.
Stagnant out of doors water also needs to be dumped or drained to scale back mosquito egg-laying websites.
