210 Dengue Cases Reported In Florida, More Than Any Other State: CDC

FLORIDA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a new warning for the Americas as dengue cases reached an all-time high. So far, 210 Florida travelers have fallen ill with the virus this year, the agency said.

Florida has reported more cases than any other state and at least one case was locally acquired through a mosquito bite. That locally acquired case was reported in Hillsborough County.

According to the CDC, the dengue virus is spread to people through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which also spreads Zika, chikungunya, and other viruses.

Each year, up to 400 million people are infected by one of four dengue viruses, according to the CDC. About 100 million people get sick from infection, and 40,000 die from severe dengue.

In its most recent warning, the CDC said countries in the Americas reported more than 9.7 million dengue cases, twice as many as the 4.6 million cases reported in 2023.

In Florida, cases were reported in 23 counties, according to CDC data. The highest number of cases, 99, was reported in Miami-Dade County; Hillsborough County had 14 cases and Broward County had 32 cases.

The most common symptoms of dengue include fever accompanied by nausea, vomiting, rash, and aches and pains. There is no specific medicine to treat dengue, and most people recover after about a week.

The CDC said about one in 20 people will develop severe dengue, which can lead to shock, internal bleeding, and even death, although deaths are rare.

Anyone experiencing symptoms should immediately go to a local clinic or emergency room, health officials said.