The health department of Palm Beach County, Florida, reported a “locally acquired” case of dengue fever. In a news release, the health department reported that it is “coordinating surveillance and prevention efforts with the Palm Beach County Mosquito Control Division by monitoring and treating affected areas.” The health department did not provide specific details about which areas of Palm Beach County it is focusing its surveillance and prevention efforts on. Health: What to know To protect yourself and your family from mosquito-borne diseases, the health department encourages people to use products containing 0.5% permethrin on clothing, apply insect repellent when going outside, remove standing water, and put screens on windows. Fighting the pest in South Florida: How to control mosquitoes Experts say that while dengue fever is primarily found in other parts of the world, the majority of cases in the United States occur in the southeastern part of the country. “The majority of cases we are seeing in the United States are people returning from travel or coming to the United States on their own after living in another country,” said Dr. Larry Bush, an infectious disease specialist at Wellington Regional Medical Center. “And they mostly have symptoms of fever and headache, sometimes swollen lymph nodes, and intense pain, especially behind the eyes,” Bush said. Patients with this rare, life-threatening disease can also have symptoms like back and leg pain, sore throat, and rash, and symptoms can appear days after the bite. “Most people recover quickly, but a small number of people, especially those under the age of 10, can have symptoms called dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can include intense abdominal pain, severe bruising, and, as the name suggests, bleeding, mainly in the digestive tract,” Bush said. Experts say the best thing you can do to protect yourself from dengue fever is to avoid mosquito bites. “If you have standing water in your house, that’s where mosquitoes breed. And, as you know, we’re getting quite a bit of rain right now, so that’s especially noticeable,” Bush said. “The second thing is to use insect repellent, and the ones that have a lot of that chemical in them called DEET, that’s the most effective prevention.” Bush said unlike other mosquitoes, the species that carry dengue tend to bite during the day, so people should protect themselves during the day. Bush said the situation in Palm Beach County is likely the result of a mosquito biting someone who traveled or entered the country with the dengue virus in their blood. The virus can be present in an infected person’s blood for up to a week. STAY UP TO DATE: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25. Get the latest news with the WPBF 25 News App, available for download here.
The Palm Beach County, Florida, Health Department reported a locally acquired case of dengue fever.
The health department reported in a news release that it is coordinating surveillance and prevention efforts with the Palm Beach County Mosquito Control Division “by monitoring and treating affected areas.”
The health department did not provide details about which areas of Palm Beach County it is focusing its surveillance and prevention efforts on.
Your Health: What you need to know
The Ministry of Health recommends that people protect themselves and their families from mosquito-borne diseases by using products containing 0.5% permethrin on clothing, using insect repellent when going outside, removing standing water, and installing screens on windows.
Combating Pests in South Florida: How to Manage Mosquitoes
Experts say dengue fever is found primarily in other parts of the world, but the majority of cases in the United States occur in the Southeast.
“The majority of cases we’re seeing in the United States are people returning from travel or coming to the United States on their own after living abroad,” said Dr. Larry Bush, an infectious disease specialist at Wellington Regional Medical Center. “Their symptoms are primarily fever and headache, sometimes swollen lymph nodes, and severe pain, especially behind the eyes.”
Bush also said that people with the rare and deadly disease can experience symptoms including back and leg pain, sore throat and a rash, which can sometimes appear days after being stung.
“Most people recover quickly, but a small number of people, particularly those under the age of 10, may develop a condition called dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can cause severe abdominal pain, severe bruising and, as the name suggests, bleeding, primarily in the digestive tract,” Bush said.
Experts say the best thing you can do to protect yourself from dengue fever is to avoid mosquito bites.
“If you have standing water in your home, it gives mosquitoes a place to breed, and as you know, we’re getting a lot of rain right now, so that’s especially prevalent,” Bush said. “The second thing is to use insect repellent, and the ones that have a lot of a chemical called DEET are the most effective prevention.”
Bush said the species of dengue-carrying mosquitoes are different from other mosquitoes in that they tend to bite during the day, so people need to protect themselves during the day.
Bush said the situation in Palm Beach County was likely caused by mosquitoes biting someone who had traveled or entered the country with the dengue virus in their blood. The virus can be present in an infected person’s blood for up to a week.
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