500 Dengue Cases Reported During FL Outbreak

About 500 dengue fever cases have been confirmed in Florida this year, with locally acquired cases making up about half, as the state experiences its largest outbreak on record.

The first mosquito-borne dengue case this year, reported in Hillsborough County, was recorded in the Florida Department of Health's Florida Arbovirus Surveillance report for July 19-25, data shows. This number jumped significantly within weeks.

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There have been 245 travel-related dengue fever cases in the state this year with 201 of them associated with travel to and from Cuba, according to the Sept. 20-26 report, the most recent.

There have been 252 locally acquired cases reported, with Hillsborough County as the epicenter, the report said.

Hillsborough has seen 223 confirmed cases this year, with 13 in Pinellas, eight in Miami-Dade, three each in Orange and Pasco, and one each in Palm Beach and Polk.

Last month, the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County confirmed the state's first dengue-fever related death after an epidemiological investigation.

It's the first dengue death in the Tampa Bay area in nearly a century.

Though health officials didn't identify the person who died, family came forward to say 80-year-old Gay Small died from the illness while hospitalized at Tampa General Hospital.

• Also Read: FL's 1st Dengue Fever Death Confirmed By Health Officials

"Residents throughout the state should take precautions from mosquito-borne illnesses by appropriately applying insect repellent, avoiding areas with high mosquito populations, and wearing long pants and shirts when possible — especially during sunrise and sunset when mosquitoes are most active," Claire Maher, public information officer for the health department in Hillsborough, said.

Those experiencing dengue symptoms should contact their health care provider or local county health department, she added.

Dengue can present as a flu-like illness with the following symptoms, health officials said:

• severe muscle aches
• joint pain
• fever
• rash

There are no respiratory symptoms associated with dengue.

Symptoms usually appear within 15 days of being bitten by an infected mosquito, health officials said.

A number of counties, including Hillsborough, have increased mosquito treatments by air and ground.

Health officials offer the following tips for mosquito prevention:

• Empty or cover anything that may hold standing water, such as buckets, toys, birdbaths, gutters, coolers, tires, trash bins and pet water containers. Mosquitoes can breed even in water that collects in a bottle cap.
• When spending time outdoors, use EPA-approved mosquito repellent as instructed on the label.
• Wear light-colored long sleeves and pants when possible.