Avian Flu Diary: Locally Acquired Dengue In Miami

# 5048

The Miami-Dade Health Department has announced a confirmed locally acquired case of Dengue fever in an unusual Veterans Day press conference.

This is the statement from their website.

November 11, 2010

First Locally Acquired Case of Dengue Fever in Miami-Dade County

Contact: Olga Connor
Miami-Dade County Health Department Rosa Oses-Prealoni (786) 336-1276

First Locally Acquired Case of Dengue Fever in Miami-Dade County (Miami, FL – November 11, 2010) – Miami-Dade County Health Department officials received confirmation of the first locally acquired case of Dengue Fever in Miami-Dade County.

The individual was diagnosed with Dengue Fever based on symptoms and confirmed by laboratory tests. The individual fully recovered from this illness
Miami-Dade County Health Department will hold a media availability (information as follows).

Last July there was another suspected case of Dengue in Miami, but that turned out to be a false alarm. Today’s announcement is Florida’s 2nd case of locally acquired dengue outside of the Florida Keys this year.

Posted on Thursday, 11.11.10

Dengue fever case turns up in Miami

The case is the first in more than 50 years where the disease was contracted locally. Health officials warned people to take precautions against the mosquito carriers.

According to this Miami Herald report, this case involved a different strain that the one being reported in the Keys (there are 4 serotypes of Dengue). This suggests a fresh importation, probably from someone visiting or returning from an area where Dengue is endemic.

Prior to this announcement, the Florida Department of Health’s latest arbovirus surveillance report (Nov 6th) listed the following locally acquired dengue cases for 2010.

In 2010, one case of dengue has been reported as acquired in Broward County and 57 cases of dengue have been reported as acquired in Key West (Monroe County).

Of the Key West cases, 49 are Key West residents, eight are residents of other Florida counties, and one resides out of state. Onset dates ranged from March 17 to October 28, 2010.

While the risk of contracting Dengue (or West Nile, EEE, or SLEV) in Florida is quite small, the Florida Department of Health would like to remind you to practice the 5 D’s of mosquito safety.