Back in 2016, I reported that cases of dengue fever were being reported in Florida and Hawaii. Dengue (break-bone fever) is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people and is more common in tropical and subtropical climates. It has not been common for Americans to become infected unless they were traveling abroad.
Now, just in time for mosquito season, Florida health officials are issuing a dengue fever alert, after a second case of a locally-obtained infection was reported in the Keys and several more reported in Miami-Dade .
The two confirmed dengue cases in the Keys were locally acquired, which means the people didn’t get sick while traveling. Miami-Dade County has also reported locally acquired dengue cases this year.It takes two cases for an alert to be issued.In Broward Mosquito control is using drones to get the pests in hard to reach places. They’re spreading larvicide granules, killing mosquitos before they hatch.”We are trying to be proactive and trying to reduce the mass as much as possible the adult mosquito population by preventing the larva to turn into adult mosquito,” said Adriana Toro with Broward Mosquito Control.This is especially important as 2 cases of Dengue Fever have been reported in Key West. Locally there are 104 in Miami-Dade this year, those are travel related with 6 contracted locally. In Broward there are 30 – all travel related.”We work closely with CDC. And when they have reports of Dengue cases we work together with them we spray those areas in more, more intensely,” Toro said.
But Floridians aren’t the only Americans at an increased risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a health advisor warning clinicians, health authorities, and the public about an increased risk for dengue virus infections in this country.
In the first six months of 2024, countries in the Americas have reported more than 9.7 million dengue cases, twice as many as in all of 2023, exceeding the highest number ever recorded in a single year, the CDC said in a health advisory. Puerto Rico declared a public health emergency because of the unusually high number of cases reported in the winter and spring, the dry season, when dengue cases are typically low.Since January, 745 dengue cases have been identified among U.S. travelers who became infected abroad, the agency said. Dengue cases typically increase during the warmest months that are yet to come. Last year, there were 1,829 travel-associated cases in the United States.
Of course, the “experts” are tying the rise in dengue fever infections to “climate change”.
Why the spike? Many nations have reported increasingly hot temperatures, which create ideal breeding conditions for the mosquitoes that spread dengue.”Dengue transmission peaks during the warmer and wetter months in many tropical and subtropical regions,” the CDC noted in its advisory. “Dengue cases are likely to increase as global temperatures increase.”
Dengue was historically known as ‘breakbone fever’ in the 1700s because of the severe pain it can cause in the muscles and the joints, among other symptoms.
Common signs of a dengue infection typically manifest as flu like symptoms.Typically, patients suffer a fever that lasts for between two and seven days — this may peak, reduce and then peak again during this time.During the first days, this may be accompanied by facial redness.Other common symptoms at this stage include a severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain — giving the disease its bone-breaker’ moniker — nausea and vomiting and swollen glands.
Europe is also seeing an uptick in dengue infections.
Interestingly, a new vaccine for dengue received prequalification from the World Health Organization (WHO) in May of this year.
TAK-003 is the second dengue vaccine to be prequalified by WHO. Developed by Takeda, it is a live-attenuated vaccine containing weakened versions of the four serotypes of the virus that cause dengue.WHO recommends the use of TAK-003 in children aged 6–16 years in settings with high dengue burden and transmission intensity. The vaccine should be administered in a 2-dose schedule with a 3-month interval between doses.“The prequalification of TAK-003 is an important step in the expansion of global access to dengue vaccines, as it is now eligible for procurement by UN agencies including UNICEF and PAHO,” said Dr Rogerio Gaspar, WHO Director for Regulation and Prequalification. “With only two dengue vaccines to date prequalified, we look forward to more vaccine developers coming forward for assessment, so that we can ensure vaccines reach all communities who need it.”
Given that dengue is a mosquito-borne disease and infections are likely to subside in the autumn, this is likely not an election-impacting pathogen. That’s some good news.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY