The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory Tuesday warning officials, health care providers and the public about the heightened risk of dengue infection in the United States.
The alert comes after a higher-than-expected number of dengue cases were reported across the country, according to the CDC.
A total of 2,241 cases have been reported in the United States so far this year, including 1,498 in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which declared a public health emergency in March after a surge in cases. Exceeding historic figuresMost of the cases reported in states are travel-related, according to the CDC.
Center 3,036 cases of dengue fever were reported. last year Within the United States and its territories.
This year, Dengue fever pandemic It reached an all-time high. Especially in Latin American countriesMore than 9.7 million cases of dengue have been reported in the US, more than double the number of cases in all of 2023 (4.6 million), according to the CDC.
Many countries are reporting a surge in dengue infections as temperatures rise, creating ideal conditions for dengue-carrying mosquitoes to hatch in large numbers and carry large amounts of the virus.
The most common symptom in people who catch this mosquito-borne disease is fever, but other symptoms include severe headache, nausea, vomiting, rash and body aches.
Symptoms can be mild or severe. Most people with dengue recover within a week, but severe cases can be life-threatening and require hospitalization, leading to shock, internal bleeding and even death.
People who have had dengue before are more likely to develop severe symptoms, and according to the CDC, a person can get dengue up to four times in their lifetime — once for each type of virus that causes dengue.
The CDC’s latest warning advises health care providers to increase the suspicion of dengue fever in anyone with a fever, especially if they have recently traveled to areas where dengue fever is common, and encourages people to report any dengue cases immediately to public health authorities and to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
The CDC said it is also taking other steps, including improving and expanding laboratory testing to more effectively diagnose cases, as well as educating the public about the disease and how to prevent it.
Effective prevention measures include staying in air-conditioned places when possible, using insect repellent, and wearing long sleeves and long pants to protect against mosquito bites.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
