The first locally-acquired case of dengue virus, also known as dengue fever, was reported by Pasadena, California, public health officials on Friday.
Manuel Carmona, Pasadena’s acting director of public health, told reporters that the case was not associated with foreign travel but that it is “an extremely rare case of local transmission in the continental United States.”
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“The Pasadena Public Health Department is conducting surveillance, and field teams have visited a Pasadena neighborhood to offer information for preventing mosquito breeding around their homes and preventing bites,” Carmona said.
Dengue, which is spread by mosquitoes, is asymptomatic in 75% of those infected. Mild symptoms include high fever, aches, pains, and rash. Vomiting and internal bleeding are symptoms of severe dengue, which occurs in 5% of symptomatic patients.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the type of mosquito that spreads dengue is common throughout the continental U.S. Local outbreaks of dengue have been reported and controlled in Florida, Texas, Hawaii, and Arizona.
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Mosquito news caused a buzz this summer with reported cases of locally acquired malaria in Florida and Texas. Researchers since have warned that although reports of increasing mosquito-borne diseases should be cause for concern among public health officials, the general public should not be alarmed.
Last year, there were 67 cases of locally acquired dengue virus, according to CDC statistics.
