Why is there a virus alert in Florida? Broward County and Miami-Dade issue warning as illness continues to spread
FLORIDA: A virus notice has been issued in several areas of Florida due to an increase in dengue cases across the state.
Broward County, where Fort Lauderdale is located, has joined Miami-Dade County in issuing an alarm as the disease spreads.
Why is there a virus alert in Florida?
The Florida Department of Health noted two instances of the infection in Broward County's arbovirus surveillance report, which covers the period from July 30 to August 5.
Ten local dengue cases have been documented in Florida so far this year, most of them in Miami-Dade County in July. "Ten cases have been serotyped by PCR," said the Department of Health in Florida.
What are the symptoms of dengue?
Dengue is a viral ailment caused by the dengue virus (DENV), which is transferred to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes.
Dengue affects over half of the world's population, with an estimated 100-400 million cases occurring each year. It is widespread globally in tropical and subtropical climates, primarily in urban and semi-urban regions.
Most dengue patients have minor or no symptoms and recover in 1-2 weeks.
Symptoms include high fever (40°C/104°F), severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, and rash, as per Daily Mail.
What does the CDC say?
"There were two locally acquired dengue cases in 2022," the Broward County health agency reported. The advisory also issued a precaution after nearly 200 instances were reported across Florida this year.
The infected were people who were known to have traveled to a dengue-endemic area in the two weeks before the virus spread throughout the state. Ten of those instances were documented among non-Florida residents, the department added, with one case labeled as severe dengue.
Mosquitoes are also responsible for transmitting the sickness known as malaria, aside from transmitting the more obscure variety of dengue.
As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Dengue viruses are spread to people through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito."
"Almost half of the world’s population, about 4 billion people, live in areas with a risk of dengue."
"A dengue vaccine is approved for use in children aged 9 to 16 years with laboratory-confirmed previous dengue virus infection and living in areas where dengue is endemic (common). Endemic areas include some U.S. territories and freely associated states," it added.