Dengue fever reported in South Florida

[Fuddnik]

Source: NBCNews.com

Florida health officials are trying to stop a painful disease from spreading throughout the state.

It's called Dengue fever.

Experts say it's very rare to see cases of this in the United States, and yet there have been at least 8 reported infections in Florida.

At this time, Hillsborough County health officials say there have been no reported cases throughout the Tampa Bay area, but that doesn't mean we should let our guard down.

Dengue fever is very painful and there are no treatments available.

These tiny mosquitoes may be small, but they can create a big problem.

Over the past few weeks, there have been reports of dengue fever spread by mosquitoes in south Florida.

(snip)

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/52856488/ns/local_news-tampa_fl/#.Uh1GX3-mzzM

[shenmue]

1. I saw this on the news tonight

Makes me want to run out and get more sanitizer.

[Fuddnik]

4. Better stock up on insect repellant.

The guy next door to me used to drive the mosquito control truck, and he would circle our block about 6 times, instead of once. Never saw a mosquito here for years. Now, he moved to the lab, and we get the same treatment as everyone else.

And, we've had a really wet summer.

[Botany]

2. Well tropical diesease might be moving north w/ global warming

[OnlinePoker]

5. Dengue fever is endemic to Florida

Success in eradicating the mosquito that carried the fever as well as wariness over using pesticides such as DDT has allowed those mosquito populations to surge.

http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/media/pdf/EID_4-12_Dengue.pdf

[fasttense]

13. I'm sure state and federal government cut backs

have also encouraged the proliferation of the mosquito.

[wordpix]

6. read an article about this in the NRDC mag, and yes, that's what's happening

[4bucksagallon]

3. Enjoy it Florida.

Like they say there is no cure and it is quite rampant at certain times here in the Philippines. We had an outbreak last year here and I have suffered the joint pain and rash along with the headaches, oh the headaches. LOL! However for most it is something they will survive, now dengue hemorrhagic fever is something one wants to avoid that one will kill you. I still see malaria as a bigger threat.

[freshwest]

7. Where I grew up, we had a large variety of mosquitoes. They offered several gifts:

For humans, they gave us Malaria, Dengue Fever, YellowYever and by the sixties they gave us several kinds of Encephalitis. For dogs, there were heartworms. We didn't mind those fogging trucks rumbling down the street every night for such reasons.

Surprised it took Florida until now to get Dengue, as we had it back in the fifties, just not as common as yellow fever, malaria and later SLE. Hope Florida will do what is necessary to cut down the number of mosquitoes. Some of those diseases lead to death or disability.

[geomon666]

8. Damn, now I wonder if that's what I've got right now.

I've got the fever, body aches, red painful skin on my legs along with swelling. Damn. Gotta ask the doctor on Friday.

[tofuandbeer]

9. Best of luck to you!

[davidpdx]

10. Just a suggestion

You might not want to wait that long.

[SkyDaddy7]

11. Climate Change??

[blkmusclmachine]

12. .

.

[Divernan]

14. AKA "break bone fever" or "blood fever" in Indonesia

My son, who lived in Indonesia for a year wrote me: "In Indonesian, dengue is demam darah, or "blood fever" because you start bleeding through your pores. Nasty."

[Divernan]

15. Cases reported in all states; mosquitos capable of carrying disease living in 28 states

Check out the map at the link. There have even been cases (11) reported in Alaska - doubtless travelers returning from their mid-winter holidays in warmer climes. Hawaii had 1,782 cases. I hate to slather chemicals on my body, but mosquito repellant is better than bleeding through my pores!

Mosquitoes capable of carrying and transmitting diseases like Dengue Fever, for example, now live in at least 28 states. As temperatures increase and rainfall patterns change - and summers become longer - these insects can remain active for longer seasons and in wider areas, greatly increasing the risk for people who live there.

The same is true on a global scale: increases in heat, precipitation, and humidity can allow tropical and subtropical insects to move from regions where infectious diseases thrive into new places. This, coupled with increased international travel to and from all 50 states, means that the U.S. is increasingly at risk for becoming home to these new diseases.

Nearly 4,000 cases of imported and locally-transmitted Dengue Fever were reported in the U.S. between 1995 and 2005, and that number rises to 10,000 when cases in the Texas-Mexico border region are included. In Florida, 28 locally-transmitted cases were reported in a 2009-2010 outbreak, the first there in more than 40 years. Dengue Fever, also known as "Breakbone Fever", is characterized by high fever, headaches, bone and joint aches, and a rash. Recurrent infection can lead to bleeding, seizures, and death.

http://www.nrdc.org/health/climate/disease.asp