Dengue Fever Comes to Florida

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Most common symptoms of  illness are: headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands, and rash. Bleeding gums, severe pain behind the eyes, and red palms and soles may also be present. Dengue fever is rarely fatal, but full recovery often takes weeks.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is a much more severe syndrome. It primarily affects children under 10 years of age. Symptoms of DHF start quickly with high fever and headache, sore throat, cough, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The syndrome progresses to include: blood spots, spitting up blood, blood in the stool, bleeding gums and nose, inflammation of the heart, petechiae, pneumonia, etc.. Shock usually occurs within two to six days, . The mortality rate, especially for infants, is significant.

Over one-third of the world’s population live in topic or subtropical areas, where dengue fever is most prevalent. Dengue fever is actually a leading cause of illness in such areas, with more than 100 million people infected yearly.  It is an epidemic in places like- the Caribbean, South America, and Asia.

Cases of dengue fever was a rarity in the United States, and the few cases that did exist were from travelers that contracted the disease abroad.  However, there has been a recent rash of dengue fever cases in Florida. Last Friday, The Florida Dept. of Health confirmed 24 cases of Key West residents, and 49 “imported cases of dengue fever.

Twenty-four cases may sound like a pebble in the ocean, but anyone that has been to the Florida Keys knows that it is mosquito alley. Dengue fever is spread from person- to- mosquito -to- another person.

It is no surprise that the CDC is concerned that if dengue fever gains a foothold in Key West, it could travel up Florida and to other mosquito plagued areas. Health official are being careful not to start a panic, but are warning that there is not a vaccine for dengue. The CDC recommends that the best prevention is to avoid mosquito’s and being bitten by mosquito’s. This can be done with DEET insect repellent, keeping open windows and doors screened, avoiding mosquito prone areas after sunset and before sunrise, and eliminating stagnant water sources from outdoor living areas.