Key West, Florida – of The Florida Department of Health has warned Two residents of the northern islands have been diagnosed with dengue fever, raising concerns that mosquitoes in the Keys may be transmitting the disease.
These locally acquired cases are the seventh and eighth reported in the lower 48 states this year, with more than 700 of those cases identified as travel-related.
The infections came days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned health officials that cases were surging across the Americas.
Around 10 million people are reported to be infected with the virus worldwide, already exceeding last year’s total number of infections.
In response to the new cases in Florida, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District has increased door-to-door testing, expanded insecticide spraying efforts, and installed additional mosquito traps.
Health experts say dengue fever is not contagious and is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
This mosquito species is known to feed on blood at any time of the day, not just at dawn and dusk, increasing the risk to humans.
“Anywhere you have a high mosquito population and a high temperature, you can see dengue transmission,” Dr. Stacey Rizza, an infectious disease specialist at Mayo Clinic, previously told Mayo Clinic News Network.
Like other mosquito-borne diseases, there is no known cure for the virus and symptoms are treated with medication.
Symptoms include pain, nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and fatigue.
Medical experts say symptoms usually begin four to 10 days after infection and only about one in four people develop symptoms.
of CDC says The symptoms often mimic those of other illnesses, so the only way to confirm infection is with a blood test.
There are four serotypes of dengue virus: dengue virus type 1, dengue virus type 2, dengue virus type 3, and dengue virus type 4.
Infection with one virus does not confer immunity against the others, so it is possible to become infected multiple times.
“Infection with one DENV typically confers lifelong protection against infection from that specific DENV but only for a few months to years against other DENVs,” the CDC says.
Rainy summers often turn Florida into a haven for mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes typically thrive in Florida because of the warm, humid air, but problems with the pests can be especially severe in South Florida.
Torrential rains in early June recorded more than 25 inches of rain within 48 hours, causing standing water for several days and strengthening breeding sites.
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in or near still bodies of water, and the larvae develop in just a few days.
“Most of the species that live here only take seven to 10 days to grow from egg to biting adult,” said Dr. John Paul Mutebi, director of Miami-Dade County’s Mosquito Control Division. said after the heavy rain.
The state regularly tests mosquitoes for diseases such as St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis, malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever.
The effects of these diseases range from mild to potentially life-threatening conditions.
Preventive measures are key in fighting these insects and include using effective repellents, wearing appropriate clothing and installing screens to stop insects from getting indoors.