# 4778
Dengue cases in Puerto Rico have been running above the epidemic threshold for all of 2010, but until mid-May were only averaging about 150 suspected cases a week.
Since then we’ve the number of suspected Dengue cases begin to climb like a homesick angel.
As you can see by these latest CDC graphics (above) the number of cases has increased almost 4-fold over the past 5 weeks.
Of the 4 serotypes of Dengue, only DENV-3 has not been reported in 2010. DENV-1 is the most prevalent strain, followed by DENV-4.
Ten days ago the CDC’s MMWR came out with a field report on the Dengue situation in Puerto Rico, which you can read about at MMWR: Dengue Epidemic In Puerto Rico.
A week ago, in Dengue Reports From The Caribbean, I blogged about spikes in Dengue in Trinidad and the Dominican Republic as well.
While obviously a serious public health problem for these islands, it is also concerning because millions of tourists visit these destinations every year, and some may be coming home with more than just a T-shirt to show for their vacation.
In June of this year, a CDC report (see MMWR: Travel Associated Dengue Surveillance 2006-2008) stated:
`Clinically recognized cases of travel-associated dengue likely underestimate the risk for importation because many dengue infections are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic’.
Dengue’s spread has increased dramatically over the past 50 years, and since the 1950s a rare, but far more serious form of the disease – DHF or (Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever) – has emerged.
None of this should dissuade you from making that long anticipated trip to Florida or the Caribbean, of course. The odds of acquiring a mosquito-borne disease while visiting these islands are actually quite small.
But when millions of people make that trek, invariably some small number of tourists may become infected.
And if they return home to a region where the Aedes aegypti or the Aedes Albopictus mosquito (both Dengue vectors) are found, they have at least the potential to introduce the virus to a new area.
Which is probably how Dengue ended up returning to south Florida after an absence of more than 60 years (see Update On The Florida Dengue Cases).
Admittedly, it may take many such introductions over a number of years before the virus can establish a foothold.
And an aggressive mosquito control and education program may well prevent that from happening altogether.
A good reason to support your community’s mosquito control efforts and public health department.
We live in an increasingly interconnected world, and pathogens like Dengue, Chikungunya, Malaria, and yes . . . pandemic influenza . . . have a much easier time spreading than they used to.
While we can’t turn back the clock and return to the relatively insular lives that our parents and grandparents led, we can take common sense precautions to prevent the spread of these diseases and we can support public health efforts to control or eradicate them.
Whether it is following the `5 D’s’ advice to protect yourself from mosquito bites, or getting your annual flu shot, there are real and substantive things you can do to help reduce the burden of disease on your community.
Preventing the spread of infectious diseases is, after all, a shared responsibility.
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To help protect yourself from mosquitoes, remember and follow the `5 D’s’:
Don't go outdoors at DUSK and DAWN when mosquitoes are most active.
DRESS so your skin is covered with clothing
Apply mosquito repellent containing DEET to bare skin and clothing.
Other effective repellents include picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, and IR3535
Empty containers and DRAIN standing water around your home where mosquitoes can lay eggs.
