The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provisionally confirmed a major U.S. outbreak of dengue fever on Wednesday.
At present, there are 225 cases of dengue fever in the U.S., and 315 in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, according to the CDC. Florida is bearing the brunt of the outbreak, with 96 travel-associated cases and two local transmissions. New York has also been hit with 23 cases, and one person has been infected locally in Texas. A majority of the cases in Florida were contracted during trips to Cuba, according to VaxBeforeTravel.
Outbreaks of dengue have erupted around the world, with more than 100,000 people and 200 dead in Peru. The country is currently going through a “mega fumigation campaign” to rid the population of mosquitos that carry to disease.
El Niño is coming https://t.co/VuG864nths
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 17, 2023
The disease is spread via mosquito bites, and symptoms include severe pain in the patient’s eyes, head, muscles, joints, as well as a high fever, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. (RELATED: ‘It’s Just A Matter Of Time’: Scientists Issue Warning As Deadly, Ebola-Like Virus Spreads)
Bangladesh is coping with a record-breaking dengue fever outbreak, according to a study due to be published Saturday. The authors put the outbreak down to rapid growth of urbanization and climate shifts.
Taiwan is also experiencing a sudden rise in locally-contracted cases of dengue. Reports suggest more than 1,000 cases have hit the island nation, the highest rate in the last decade, OutbreakNews claimed.