BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — The mosquito-borne dengue virus appears to potentially be spreading north as Broward County reported its first locally acquired cases of the disease.
A report from Florida Health said that four cases of locally-transmitted dengue fever were reported in Miami-Dade and Broward counties during the first week of August. This brings the total number of local cases in Florida to 10 this year.
According to a statement from Florida Health in Broward County, the dengue virus is not common in Florida, but "infected travelers can bring the virus back to Florida mosquitoes". In fact, Florida has reported far more cases of dengue fever specifically related to international travel.
"Forty-three cases of dengue were reported this week in persons that had international travel. In 2023, 190 travel-associated dengue cases have been reported," the report said.
What makes the latest cases notable is that the people were affected in Florida without traveling abroad, although the report from Florida Health did not disclose any information about the patients in the reported cases.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, about 1 in 4 people who are infected with the virus will develop symptoms. Typically, these will last for 2-7 days and include fever, nausea, aches, and skin rashes, and they can be dealt with at home by getting rest, staying hydrated, and taking acetaminophen. However, in much rarer cases, the virus can result in shock, internal bleeding, and even death.
The reported increase in dengue cases comes one month after Sarasota and Manatee counties were placed under mosquito advisories due to locally-transmitted cases of malaria. Florida Health's latest report did not find any new cases of malaria reported since then.