Florida has been play host to an emerging translation of the dengue computer virus , raw inquiry shows . The study find that the DoS has have an “ unprecedented ” identification number of cases due to dengue virus serotype 3 over the past two years , include topically assume cases . outbreak have rest comparatively small and contained , at least for now .
Dengueis a mosquito - borne disease . Most initial infections get no symptoms , but about a quarter will go through grippe - similar unwellness , while one in 20 of these cases can develop severe , animation - threatening complications like internal bleeding and electric shock . There are four major serotypes of the dengue virus , and last an infection only furnish granting immunity to that specific case . What ’s unsound , a second infection from another type of the computer virus actually raises the risk of developing severe dengue fever .
The Aedes mosquitoes that circulate dengue typically hold out in tropic sphere of the world . But over the retiring few decades , their orbit has expanded , as has the risk of catching breakbone fever . According to theWorld Health Organization , the number of cover dengue cases has increase tenfold globally since 2000 , with more than 5 million case documented in 2019 , and the virus is now endemic in more than 100 country . The threat of dengue is only growing large , thanks in no small part due to clime change , and new portion of Europe and the Americas have reckon outbreaks in late years , let in inside the U.S.
An Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is known to spread dengue and other dangerous diseases.Image: Tacio Philip Sansonovski (Shutterstock)
The virus is n’t endemical to the continental U.S. , and most cases today are found in multitude who latterly move around to nation where the virus is on a regular basis encounter . But starting in early 2022 , Florida health official set about to notice an step-up in cover dengue pillow slip , both travel - refer and topically acquired . This trend continued into 2023 , with more than 700 casesdocumentedthat twelvemonth . In a reportpublishedrecently in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report , local officials teamed up with the CDC to characterize and get a safe sense of these eruption .
Between May 2022 and April 2023 , the authors found , Florida experienced at least 1,037 breakbone fever cases , with nearly two - thirds of these cases being make by dengue virus serotype 3 , or DENV-3 . Dengue is endemic to the outlying U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands , but the vast majority of causa seen in these area since 2010 have beencausedby serotypes 1 and 4 . The report author say these in vogue irruption feature an “ unprecedented number of travel - associated and locally acquired DENV-3 cases in Florida . ”
The bulk of dengue cases in Florida were still related to travel , with most originating from Cuba . Not - so - coincidently , Cubaexperienceda large outbreak of DENV-3 beginning in July 2022 . Other parts of the Americas have seen DENV-3 cases recently as well , such asBraziland Arizona ( including the state ’s first knownlocally acquired case ) .
The silver lining seems to be that dengue did not negociate to make large inroads into Florida this metre around . The team ’s genetic analytic thinking found that the DENV-3 causa demand very closely related strains , including those transmitted by local mosquito , likely meaning the virus did not spread wide beyond the initial outbreaks . That said , the researcher do say that improved vigilance would help keep dengue from becoming an endemic problem .
“ Close monitoring of DENV activity internationally , as well as increasing healthcare provider awareness about DENV designation and examination , can strengthen readiness and answer to future introductions in non – DENV - endemic areas , ” they wrote .
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