# 5712
Aedes aegypti
This time last year Dengue fever was a big story in Puerto Rico, and to a lesser extent, also in South Florida and the Bahamas.
- The worst epidemic in more than a decade had swept across the island of Puerto Rico, and at one point as many as 900 new cases were being reported each week (see Puerto Rico Dengue Week 31: Cases Back On The Ascendant).
- Florida, for the second year in a row, was reporting relatively small numbers of Dengue infections - (2010: a total of 63 locally-acquired cases in Key West, one in Broward County, and one in Miami-Dade County) – after more than six decades without a locally acquired case.
- And last September the Bahamas issued a public health advisory after a rise in Dengue cases and at least one death (see Dengue Reports From The Bahamas).
Outbreaks of Dengue fever are often cyclical, and thus far in 2011 - for Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas - reports of Dengue fever have been far lower than we saw last year.
The epidemic in Puerto Rico, which claimed 31 lives, finally burned itself out over the winter. The chart below shows what a difference a year can make.
While fewer than 100 cases are being reported each week right now, it should be noted that the rainy season still lies ahead. Precautions against mosquitoes are still important.
In Florida, only one locally acquired case of Dengue has been reported in 2011, likely due to the extended drought the state has been experiencing. That situation could change, of course, with the arrival of one good tropical storm.
For now, mosquito activity remains relatively low for this time of year (see report Florida Arbovirus Surveillance :Week 28: July 10 – July 16, 2011) with only one county (Seminole) under a mosquito-borne illness advisory.
According to a recent report in The Bahamas Weekly, the Bahamas are once again seeing a rise in Dengue activity, with two laboratory confirmed cases in New Providence, and another eleven cases awaiting test results.
DEHS ‘steps up’ source reduction in response to 2 cases of dengue
Jul 21, 2011 - 5:27:13 PM
Across the rest of South America, Central America, and the Caribbean dengue activity varies considerably, with more than 700,000 cases and 400 deaths reported in 2011.
The chart below is gleaned from the latest PAHO Dengue surveillance report.
The explosive growth of Dengue around the world is well illustrated by the following graph from the World Health Organization. .
Since the 1950s a rare, but far more serious form of the disease – DHF or (Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever) – has emerged.
The WHO now estimates there may be as many as 50 million dengue infections each year (Dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever fact sheet).
For an extensive list of my blogs on Dengue and Mosquito Borne Diseases you can select the DENGUE Quick Search here, on my sidebar.
Despite the lower numbers of dengue cases this year, the threat of mosquito borne illnesses (which may include Dengue, EEE, St. Louis Encephalitis, West Nile Virus, and others) remains.
So if you live in mosquito territory, it pays to be mindful of the 5 D’s.
