# 6622
Dengue fever is endemic in Puerto Rico, but most years the number of cases remains relatively low. Every few years, however, dengue resurges and an epidemic occurs.
Last year (2011) was an average or below average year for Dengue in Puerto Rico, but the year before – 2010 – saw the worst epidemic in modern memory (see MMWR: Dengue Epidemic In Puerto Rico) with nearly 21,000 cases and 31 fatalities.
This year, the level of Dengue fever infection has been flirting with the epidemic threshold off and on (see Dengue Above Epidemic Threshold In Puerto Rico), but in recent weeks has begun to climb higher.
The most recent surveillance report – current through the middle of September – shows this upward trend.
Yesterday Health Secretary Lorenzo Gonzalez of the Puerto Rico Health Department declared a Dengue epidemic on the island (PDF Link – in Spanish) and stated that at least six people have died, two of them being children.
The World Health Organization’s Dengue and Severe Dengue Fact Sheet highlights the following points about the disease.
Key facts
- Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection.
- The infection causes flu-like illness, and occasionally develops into a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue.
- The global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades.
- About half of the world's population is now at risk.
- Dengue is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas.
- Severe dengue is a leading cause of serious illness and death among children in some Asian and Latin American countries.
- There is no specific treatment for dengue/ severe dengue, but early detection and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates below 1%.
- Dengue prevention and control solely depends on effective vector control measures.
The explosive growth of Dengue around the world is well illustrated by the following graph, again from the World Health Organization.
There are 4 different serotypes of the Dengue Fever virus (Puerto Rico is reporting types DENV1 & DENV4), so a person can become infected several times over their lifetime. Usually, the first infection with a dengue virus results in the milder form of the illness, while more serious illness can occur with subsequent infections.
With roughly 4 million residents and another 4 million annual visitors to Puerto Rico – 4,8165 infections is a miniscule fraction of the exposed population.
The odds of contracting the virus are actually pretty low.
But they are not zero.
So it makes sense to take reasonable precautions whenever you are around mosquitoes (and not just in Puerto Rico). Those who travel to, or live in areas where mosquitoes are present are reminded that to follow the `5 D’s’:
You can find out more about dengue around the world by visiting the CDC’s Traveler’s Health page on the disease: Update: Dengue in Tropical and Subtropical Regions
