Dengue Fever Alert in US: Unprecedented Number of Cases and the Dangers of Mosquito Transmission

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health alert regarding the rising risk of dengue fever infections in the United States. This includes at least 13 cases reported in Palm Beach County, as well as an unexpectedly higher number of cases across the country due to hot temperatures creating ideal conditions for mosquitoes to spread the disease.

Local transmission of dengue in the U.S. is most common in areas where the disease is prevalent, such as U.S. territories and freely associated states. The CDC has reported a total of 2,241 cases this year, with most being travel-related. Puerto Rico has declared a public health emergency with nearly 1,500 reported cases, while Florida has the most cases in the continental U.S., with most cases occurring in Miami-Dade County and Palm Beach County reporting 13 travel-related cases.

Symptoms of dengue fever can appear within days of being bitten by an infected mosquito but may take up to two weeks to develop. Common symptoms include fever, nausea, rash, and body pain. Severe cases can lead to shock, internal bleeding, and death. Dengue is spread through mosquito bites and currently there is no widely available vaccine to prevent infection. The best way to prevent dengue is by protecting yourself from mosquito bites by covering skin