Florida travelers to the Bahamas should take note of a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warning: a higher-than-usual number of cases of the mosquito-borne disease known as Dengue Fever (DF) has afflicted those recently returning.
According to the CDC, since August 9th about 1,500 individuals with DF-like symptoms have been reported in the Bahamas.
Two young Northern Virginia boys, one age 14 and the other age 10, who had been to Nassau, developed DF symptoms requiring hospitalization. Both recovered.
So far no returning Floridians have been diagnosed with the debilitating disease and the CDC has not issued prohibitions against traveling to the Bahamas.
Nevertheless, health experts have advised anyone going to the Bahamas to wear long sleeves and pants and to use mosquito repellant when outdoors.
Until these recent cases, only about 1 individual per year was reported in the Bahamas. By comparison, as 100 million people worldwide are infected with DF each year.
DF is caused by any one of four related viruses transmitted by mosquitoes. The disease is characterized by high fever plus two or more of the following: headache, pain behind the eyes, joint pain, bone or muscle pain, rash, mild bleeding from the nose or gums, easy bruising, and a low white blood cell count. The incubation period for DF ranges from 3 to 14 days but is typically about one week. Most dengue fever cases are self-limited and can be treated with bed rest, acetaminophen (Tylenol), and oral fluids.
A small number of patients go on to develop dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), with signs and symptoms that include a resolving fever or a recent history of fever lasting 2–7 days, any evidence of bleeding, a very low platelet count (less than 100,000/mm3). DHF can result in circulatory instability, shock and death. The risk for these complications is higher if the person has had a previous dengue infection. Adequate management of DHF patients generally requires timely hospitalization.
About 25,000 people die from the disease, according to the CDC.
Last year Examiner.com reported the first outbreak of DF in Florida in 40 years when residents and travelers to Key West were exposed to virus-infected mosquitoes in the area.
As a result, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) stepped up truck and aerial spraying to control the adult mosquito populations and began an intense door-to-door campaign to find and eliminate mosquito-breeding sites. Among specimens of adult female Aedes aegyptimosquitoes from throughout Key West collected, several tested positive for dengue. FKMCD also began a public education campaign to stress the importance of eliminating mosquito-breeding sites as well as protecting oneself from bites. South Florida physicians were alerted to the need for early identification, prevention and treatment.
At this point, given the current situation in the Bahamas, all Florida physicians as well as the public should be aware of the possibility of DF.
For more information on control and prevention of dengue fever, check out the CDC
For a map of dengue cases, check out MAP
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