Dengue Fever Hits Palm Beach County

A confirmed case of dengue fever has been reported in Palm Beach County, Florida. The Florida Department of Health issued an advisory on August 3, coinciding with a similar local case reported in Miami-Dade County on the same day. Local health departments are collaborating on surveillance and prevention strategies.

Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, both of which are present in Florida. Symptoms typically appear three to 14 days after a bite and include a sudden onset of fever, severe headache, eye pain, muscle and joint pain, and potentially bleeding. While usually not fatal, a more severe form, dengue hemorrhagic fever, can be life-threatening if untreated.

Preventative measures against dengue fever include using insect repellent on exposed skin and clothing, treating clothing with permethrin, eliminating standing water where mosquitoes breed, and ensuring window screens are intact. Although no countries are currently categorized by the CDC as having high transmission rates, dengue is prevalent in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.