CDC: 5% of Key West Residents Exposed to Dengue

Posted on July 13, 2010

Reuters reports that at least 1,000 people have been exposed to dengue in Key West, Florida. The CDC estimates that at least 5% of the population has been exposed. Scientists are concerned dengue could regain a foothold in Florida and travel to other U.S. cities.

"We're concerned that if dengue gains a foothold in Key West, it will travel to other southern cities where the mosquito that transmits dengue is present, like Miami," said Harold Margolis, chief of the dengue branch at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"These cases represent the reemergence of dengue fever in Florida and elsewhere in the United States after 75 years," Margolis said in a statement.

Dengue is spread to humans by an infected mosquito. The CDC says the primary symptoms include high fever, severe headache, severe pain behind the eyes, joint pain, muscle and bone pain, rash, and mild bleeding (e.g., nose or gums bleed, easy bruising).

The CDC has a dengue website and a Dengue fact page here. They have also provided a detailed article here about locally acquired dengue in Key West, Florida.