Someone has recently contracted dengue fever in Palm Beach County.
The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County sent an advisory about a confirmed case of the mosquito-borne illness on Aug. 3. Miami-Dade County reported a local case on the same day.
“DOH-Palm Beach and Palm Beach County Mosquito Control are coordinating surveillance and prevention efforts,” reads the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County release.
Dengue fever is a disease related to the viruses that cause West Nile virus and yellow fever. Several cases are reported in Florida each year from people traveling to areas that have the disease, which usually include the Caribbean, Central and South America and Asia, according to the Florida Department of Health.
It is common in many countries around the world and almost half of the world’s population live in areas at risk of dengue, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Still, no countries are in the CDC’s “high transmission” category for dengue fever right now. No countries have had 10 or more cases reported among travelers in the last three months as of July 1.
How is dengue fever transmitted?
Dengue infection is acquired through the bite of a certain species of mosquito. These include Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.
Both types of mosquito live in Florida.
What are the symptoms of dengue fever?
Dengue fever can be painful and debilitating, but it is rarely fatal, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Symptoms start between three and 14 days after an infected mosquito bite. They include a sudden onset of fever, severe headache, eye pain, muscle and joint pain and bleeding. Vomiting and diarrhea are also possible. Symptoms usually last four to seven days.
A more severe form of dengue is dengue hemorrhagic fever. It is rare, but it can be fatal if not treated.
There is no treatment for dengue fever, but symptoms and complications can be managed.
How to avoid dengue fever?
People can protect themselves from getting bitten by mosquitoes.
They can apply insect repellent to exposed skin or clothing, treat clothing with products containing 0.5% permethrin, be careful not to leave out standing water (where mosquitoes breed) and keep screens on windows.
Maya Washburn is a Trending News Reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Case of dengue fever confirmed in Palm Beach County. How to stay safe
