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Miami Dengue Fever Case in 50 Years Has Dade County On Alert - No Vaccine Yet

November 15, 2010
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978696638

A Miami dengue fever case, the first in 50 years, has county officials and the CDC concerned as a Dade County man is confirmed to have the disease. Not only is it the first occurrence in 50 years, but no one knows how the man contracted the illness, and the strain is a type never before seen. Because no vaccine is available for this illness, officials are worried about an endemic.

What is dengue fever?

Dengue fever is a disease spread by infected mosquitoes who carry the disease to humans when they bite them in search of a blood meal. The disease, worldwide, is rather common, but only in undeveloped countries and those in the subtropics. Nearly 100 million people are infected annually with the mosquito-borne illness. It is very rare in the U.S. although a few cases popped up in Key West, Florida in 2009. The Miami dengue fever case, the first in 50 years, has everyone stumped.

Symptoms of dengue fever?
Strangely enough, when a person contracts dengue fever, there could be a wide variety of responses that could signal infection. Here are just a few telltale symptoms:

High Fever: This could be the first warning sign, but could be characteristic of another illness like the flu or a cold.
Headache: Here, the headache is characterized by being severe and throbbing, with pain originating behind the eyes.
Pain: Pain is usually widespread or sporadic and can impact joints, bones, and muscle tissue.
Rash
Bleeding from the gums and nose.
Despite these symptoms, some people may not exhibit any symptoms at all. However, others may have a rapid progression of the disease that leads to dengue hemorrhagic fever. This condition is the most severe as it is characterized by low blood pressure and problems breathing. This can lead to shock and death in some cases. It is unknown if the Miami dengue fever case, the first seen in 50 years, was characterized as this severe.

Because there is no vaccine available, Dade County officials and the CDC suggest keeping indoors at early dawn or dusk when the tiny critters are most active. If one must go outside, it is suggested that they use some form of mosquito repellent containing DEET, that is shown to be most effective. But, the most one can do is to get rid of all standing water, as this creates a place where the carriers of dengue fever can lay their eggs and multiply.

With only one case of the Miami dengue fever case being logged in 50 years, it is no cause for panic, but residents should continue to exercise caution.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40152842/ns/today-entertainment/

* Florida on alert after Caribbean-Latin American epidemic
Health authorities in Miami, one of Florida's top tourist attractions, have reported the first case of dengue fever in 50 years, an official said Friday.

The person diagnosed with the sometimes deadly mosquito-born virus has fully recovered after a brief hospitalization, said Liliana Rivera, a director at the Miami-Dade County Health Department.

The case comes four months after officials announced more than 1,000 people in Key West, Florida, were believed to have been infected with dengue last year, marking its reemergence in the southeast U.S. state for the first time in decades.

The strands in Key West and Miami are not the same, Rivera said, meaning it did not appear to signal the infection was moving north into the United States.

The virus can cause flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches and muscle and joint pains. It can also take on a hemorrhagic form, causing sudden death through internal bleeding and bleeding from body orifices.

Florida public health authorities have been on alert after a dengue epidemic took hold in the Caribbean and parts of Latin America earlier this year.

Dengue is the most common virus transmitted by mosquitoes, infecting 50 million to 100 million people every year and killing 25,000 of them. It was largely eradicated in the United States in the 1940s but a few locally acquired cases have appeared, mostly along the Texas-Mexico border.