The cases have doubled this year compared to last year, according to the CDC.
By Youri Benadjaoud
September 18, 2024,
While Los Angeles County is reporting three locally acquired cases of dengue this year -- which is rare for the region -- there have been at least 3,085 cases nationally of locally acquired virus so far this year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There has been about double the number of locally acquired dengue cases so far this year nationally compared to last year, according to the CDC. Puerto Rico currently makes up the bulk of those cases – with over 2,960 reported. The U.S. territory declared a public health emergency back in March.
"The City of Baldwin Park is aware of the recent cases of locally acquired dengue in our community. While the risk of transmission remains low, we must take this situation seriously and act proactively," said Mayor Emmanuel J. Estrada.
Dengue viruses spread through mosquito bites. The most common symptom is a fever with aches and pains, nausea, vomiting and rash. Symptoms usually begin within two weeks after being bitten by an infected mosquito and last 2-7 days. Most people recover after about a week.
MORE: Increased risk of dengue virus infections in the US: CDC
Locally acquired cases mean that the people infected have no history of traveling to an area where dengue normally spreads. Local dengue transmission is typically common in tropical and subtropical areas of the world – including Florida, and U.S. territories in the Caribbean.
Last year, there were only two locally acquired cases reported in the state of California, the first local cases in the state reported in over a decade, according to CDC data.
MORE: As mosquito-borne illnesses spread, here's how to tell West Nile, dengue and EEE apart
The CDC issued a health alert in June warning health care providers of an increased risk of dengue virus infection this year. Globally, new cases of dengue have been the highest on record, according to the CDC. The agency also noted that cases are likely to increase as global temperatures increase.
The best way to prevent dengue is to avoid mosquito bites, according to the CDC.
Los Angeles area sees more dengue fever in people bitten by local mosquitoes
The Los Angeles area is seeing more cases of people with dengue fever without traveling outside the United States, a year after the first such case was reported in California
The Los Angeles area is seeing more cases of people with dengue fever without traveling outside the United States, a year after the first such case was reported in California
By JAIMIE DING
Associated Press
September 18, 2024
LOS ANGELES -- Health officials warned Wednesday that the Los Angeles area is seeing more dengue fever cases in people who have not traveled outside the U.S. mainland, a year after the first such case was reported in California.
Public health officials said at least three people apparently became ill with dengue this month after being bitten by mosquitoes in the Baldwin Park neighborhood east of downtown Los Angeles.
“This is an unprecedented cluster of locally acquired dengue for a region where dengue has not previously been transmitted by mosquitoes,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Other cases that stemmed from mosquito bites originating in the U.S. have been reported this year in Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where officials have declared a dengue epidemic. There have been 3,085 such cases in the U.S. this year, of which 96% were in Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cases of dengue have been surging globally as climate change brings warmer weather that enables mosquitoes to expand their reach.
Dengue fever is commonly spread through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes in tropical areas. While Aedes mosquitoes are common in Los Angeles County, local infections weren't confirmed until last year, when cases were reported in Pasadena and Long Beach.
Before then, the cases in California were all associated with people traveling to a region where dengue is commonly spread, such as Latin America, said Aiman Halai, director of the department's Vector-Borne Disease Unit.
So far this year, 82 such cases have been reported in L.A. County by people returning from traveling, Halai said. Across California, there have been 148 cases.
Dengue can cause high fevers, rashes, headaches, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, and bone and joint pain. About one in four people infected will get symptoms, which usually appear within five to seven days of a bite from a dengue-carrying mosquito. One in 20 people with symptoms will develop severe dengue, which can lead to severe bleeding and can be life-threatening.
Public health officials will be conducting outreach to homes within 150 meters (492 feet) of the homes of people who have been bitten. That's the typical flight range of the mosquitoes that transmit the virus, according to Ferrer.
Ferrer recommended that people use insect repellent and eliminate standing water around their houses where mosquitoes can breed.
Officials have been testing mosquitoes for the disease and so far have not found any in the San Gabriel Valley with dengue.
September 18, 2024
LOS ANGELES -- Health officials warned Wednesday that the Los Angeles area is seeing more dengue fever cases in people who have not traveled outside the U.S. mainland, a year after the first such case was reported in California.
Public health officials said at least three people apparently became ill with dengue this month after being bitten by mosquitoes in the Baldwin Park neighborhood east of downtown Los Angeles.
“This is an unprecedented cluster of locally acquired dengue for a region where dengue has not previously been transmitted by mosquitoes,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Other cases that stemmed from mosquito bites originating in the U.S. have been reported this year in Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where officials have declared a dengue epidemic. There have been 3,085 such cases in the U.S. this year, of which 96% were in Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cases of dengue have been surging globally as climate change brings warmer weather that enables mosquitoes to expand their reach.
Dengue fever is commonly spread through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes in tropical areas. While Aedes mosquitoes are common in Los Angeles County, local infections weren't confirmed until last year, when cases were reported in Pasadena and Long Beach.
Before then, the cases in California were all associated with people traveling to a region where dengue is commonly spread, such as Latin America, said Aiman Halai, director of the department's Vector-Borne Disease Unit.
So far this year, 82 such cases have been reported in L.A. County by people returning from traveling, Halai said. Across California, there have been 148 cases.
Dengue can cause high fevers, rashes, headaches, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, and bone and joint pain. About one in four people infected will get symptoms, which usually appear within five to seven days of a bite from a dengue-carrying mosquito. One in 20 people with symptoms will develop severe dengue, which can lead to severe bleeding and can be life-threatening.
Public health officials will be conducting outreach to homes within 150 meters (492 feet) of the homes of people who have been bitten. That's the typical flight range of the mosquitoes that transmit the virus, according to Ferrer.
Ferrer recommended that people use insect repellent and eliminate standing water around their houses where mosquitoes can breed.
Officials have been testing mosquitoes for the disease and so far have not found any in the San Gabriel Valley with dengue.
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