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Dengue Fever is back. For the first time in nearly 60-years Miami-Dade health officials have confirmed a case of locally acquired Dengue Fever. The disease is carried by mosquito, and was thought to be under control in Florida since 1934. However a recent outbreak in the Florida Keys meant it was only a matter of time until the disease made an appearance in Miami.
“In Miami-Dade County, we now need to consider that Dengue is present,” Sandra Fisher, Director of Mosquito Control, tells WSVN. “It doesn’t matter if it’s north, east, west or south.”
The disease causes symptoms similar to the flu, including a sudden fever with headache, muscle pain, and skin rashes. Nausea, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal side effects can also occur. In some cases, the disease can be fatal.
Occasionally cases of the fever will pop up in Miami-Dade, but it only appeared in people who had recently traveled outside the country. The disease still affects around 100 million people a year in other parts of the world, but was considered under control in America.
The man who caught the disease had not been outside of the county for more than two weeks. He was treated and fully recovered.
An outbreak of the disease occurred in the Florida Keys over the summer, and some cases even appeared in Broward. However, the strain of the disease found in the Miami man was different than the ones reported elsewhere in South Florida.
The best way to avoid the disease it to take regular precautions against being bit my mosquitoes such as wearing repellent and keeping your body covered.
[WSVN: Dengue Fever confirmed in Miami-Dade County][Herald: Dengue fever case turns up in Miami]
