Health authorities issued an alert for the beach chain after two people were accidentally bit by infected mosquitoes in the Florida Keys.
The warning comes just weeks after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of an increased risk of mosquito infection in the nation as cases rise worldwide.
According to the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County, mosquito illness can lead to” intense muscle aches and joint pain, fever, and occasionally a rash.” Through wounds, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can distribute hepatitis to people.
According to the mosquito-born disease notice issued by the health ministry on Saturday, the two proved dengue cases in the Keys were directly acquired. That implies that traveling is never a source of the infection.
According to state data, dengue cases in Miami-Dade, Pasco, and Hillsborough regions have also been reported this time.
Dengue is spreadable solely by bites from infected flies, which is not contagious.
Monroe health authorities claim to be collaborating with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District to integrate protection and security along the beach network. That includes more catching and monitoring of mosquitoes, intensifying doorway- to- door malaria inspections, and deploying flying and truck- mounted mosquito spraying.
People are urged to take precautions, including flushing and covering however waters and using EPA- listed mosquito repellents, to minimize getting bit by the bloodsuckers.
Dengue infections chance rises in US, CDC says
The CDC issued a health advice to health care providers and public health officials about the country’s increased risk of dengue infections this year, just days after the Keys ‘ case of dengue was discovered. According to the CDC, more than 9.7 million mosquito cases have been reported so far in 2024, which is a record number for the disease, and there have also been a record number of dengue cases reported globally this time. That’s half as many situations as in 2023.
Sweltering conditions, stronger winds and “more chaotic and numerous snowfall” are” contributing to , epidemics of malaria- borne illnesses , around the world”, according to Yale Climate Connections. These “warmer winters, greater summers, and especially softer springs and falls” are helping the Aedes aegypti malaria, the species that spreads mosquito,” to move into new areas and higher elevations that have previously been too severe for their survival”.
And the U. S. has already seen more dengue cases then expected this year, with 2, 241 cases reported from January through June 24, according to the CDC advisory. More then half of the cases were in Puerto Rico, which declared a , public health emergency , in March after seeing a rise in dengue infections during its low dengue season. Dr. Carlos Mellado López, the secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Health, said dengue cases had” surpassed historical figures”.
In Florida, there has been more than 200 dengue cases reported this year, but nearly all are associated with international travel, state data shows. At least 10 locally acquired dengue cases have been identified in the state this year, according to the new cases in the Keys. Miami- Dade County, which has been on an alert for mosquito-borne illnesses since last year, reported six of the cases.
Most people infected with dengue do n’t get symptoms, and many recover within a week, according to the Mayo Clinic. Some people, however, become fatally ill. People with , severe cases of dengue fever , can experience severe stomach pain, persistent vomiting, difficulty or rapid breathing, internal bleeding, and organ failure, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The CDC has issued multiple travel health notices related to mosquito- borne diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and oropouche, including for Colombia, Cuba, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Nigeria and Argentina.
The federal public health agency announced it is expanding laboratory capacity to improve dengue testing and is urging doctors to “have increased suspicion of dengue” in patients who have fever and have recently traveled to areas with “frequent or continuous” cases of dengue.
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