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As if COVID, monkeypox and triple-digit warmth indices aren’t sufficient to make you contemplate sealing your self inside an air-conditioned hazmat swimsuit, the announcement by Florida’s well being division that confirmed the primary domestically transmitted case of dengue in Miami-Dade County is likely to be sufficient to get you asking about measurements for such a swimsuit.

Miami-Dade, in actual fact, is below a mosquito advisory.

You nearly actually have questions on mosquitoes and dengue fever and now we have some solutions.

The Herald spoke with Dr. Mary Jo Trepka, professor and chair of the Division of Epidemiology at Florida Worldwide College’s Robert Stempel Faculty of Public Well being & Social Work, in addition to representatives from the Florida Division of Well being in Miami-Dade and the Miami-Dade Mosquito Management Division.

This is a few of what it is advisable know:

What’s dengue?

Dengue is a virus transmitted by the chew of contaminated feminine mosquitoes within the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species, in accordance with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention and World Well being Group. These mosquitoes may also carry the chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika viruses.

What are the signs?

The commonest symptom of dengue is fever however individuals may also really feel nauseous, vomit, develop a rash, have muscle, joint and bone aches and strange bleeding and bruising. Sometimes, individuals recuperate after every week.

Different signs embody headache, ache sometimes behind the eyes, muscle, joint, or bone ache, in accordance with Florida’s well being division.

Extreme dengue can happen leading to shock, inner bleeding and dying. Most circumstances of extreme dengue have occurred in Asian and Latin American nations, leading to a number one reason behind hospitalization and dying amongst youngsters and adults in these areas, in accordance with the World Well being Group.

“When you or a member of the family develop the talked about signs, go to your well being care supplier or native clinic,” the well being division urges.

Most individuals contaminated with dengue have gentle or no signs. People who do develop signs sometimes recuperate after about one week, mentioned the Florida Division of Well being in Miami-Dade.

About 1 out of 20 individuals who initially get sick with dengue will develop extreme dengue, Trepka mentioned.

“Individuals susceptible to extreme dengue embody infants, pregnant girls, individuals with persistent circumstances comparable to diabetes, weight problems and bronchial asthma and, very importantly, individuals who have had a earlier dengue an infection—that may be extra seemingly in individuals who have lived in or traveled steadily to nations which might be endemic for dengue together with many Caribbean and Latin American nations,” she mentioned.

Does it matter the place you bought bit?

Sure, Trepka defined. To be clear, “the place” means the place you have been once you received bitten by an contaminated mosquito, not the place the skeeter bit you in your physique.

“The essential distinction is imported vs. domestically acquired,” she mentioned. “Imported signifies that an individual was touring in a rustic or space with endemic dengue and more than likely was contaminated there. Domestically acquired signifies that native mosquitoes bit an contaminated particular person after which bit one other particular person. That’s severe as a result of it signifies that we could begin having a human-mosquito dengue virus cycle in Florida resulting in dengue changing into a major problem right here. That’s the reason mosquito management is so vital as a part of the response to domestically acquired circumstances.”

Is dengue transmitted individual to individual, like COVID?

Dengue isn’t transmitted individual to individual the way in which COVID-19 or monkeypox will get handed.

“Somewhat, dengue is transmitted from particular person to mosquito to particular person to mosquito to particular person. Subsequently, anybody who was touring and received contaminated whereas touring can return again to Florida infectious. This occurs not solely with dengue but additionally malaria. Then if Florida mosquitoes chew that returning, infectious traveler, they develop into infective. They then can chew different individuals, thereby spreading the virus,” Trepka mentioned.

What ought to vacationers do?

Dengue is endemic in a lot of the Caribbean and Latin America at the moment, in accordance with well being consultants. It could be advisable that should you wished to journey to a international nation you need to go to the CDC’s Worldwide Well being web site at wwwnc.cdc.gov/journey/locations/listing forward of your journey. That manner you might get complete details about what it is advisable do to guard your self in opposition to mosquito-borne and different infectious illnesses throughout your journey.

Have we had different outbreaks in Miami?

“That is the time of 12 months once we see extra mosquito-borne sicknesses; in actual fact, we sometimes see extra circumstances starting in June and all the way in which as much as December—suppose hurricane season!” Trepka mentioned. “We sometimes additionally see West Nile virus circumstances this time of 12 months. That is when now we have had domestically acquired dengue fever circumstances, and that is additionally the time of 12 months once we had our Zika outbreak in Miami-Dade” (in 2016). Chikungunya is one other mosquito-borne sickness that now we have skilled in Miami-Dade County.”

There additionally was a dengue outbreak in Miami-Dade in 2019, and in Key Largo in 2020.

shield your self from mosquitoes

“All of those illnesses could be prevented by good mosquito management. That features not simply the county Mosquito Management Division doing its work, but additionally individuals individually eliminating standing water round their properties to collectively cut back the danger of mosquito-borne illness in the neighborhood,” Trepka mentioned. “So now it’s actually essential for individuals to get their window screens mounted if obligatory and scan round their properties for standing water.”

Different suggestions:

  • Drain water from rubbish cans, home gutters, buckets, pool covers, coolers, toys, flowerpots or some other containers the place sprinkler or rainwater has collected.
  • Discard outdated tires, drums, bottles, cans, pots and pans, damaged home equipment and different gadgets that you just aren’t utilizing.
  • Empty and clear birdbaths and pets’ water bowls a minimum of a couple of times every week.
  • Shield boats and automobiles from rain with tarps that do not accumulate water.
  • Do not overlook the bromeliads, or others like them, in your backyard. Bromeliad leaves, due to their form, can maintain water like little swimming pools and show well-liked breeding websites for mosquitoes.
  • Keep swimming swimming pools in good situation and appropriately chlorinated or no matter different filtration system you employ. In different phrases, do not let it flip right into a swamp. Empty plastic swimming swimming pools when not in use, too.
  • Cowl your pores and skin by carrying footwear, socks and lengthy pants and lengthy sleeves. Sure, we all know it is over 90, with warmth indices over 100 and also you run the danger of warmth stroke. So reduce your out of doors time. If you must be outside and dressed for the mosquito event, keep hydrated. Water is greatest.

use repellents

  • Use mosquito repellent and put it on naked pores and skin and clothes—however not below clothes, Miami-Dade’s well being division recommended.
  • Learn the labels. Some repellents aren’t appropriate for kids and at all times use them in accordance with the label’s directions.
  • Repellents with DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, and IR3535 are efficient. However DEET isn’t advisable on youngsters youthful than 2 months outdated. Mosquito repellents containing oil of lemon eucalyptus shouldn’t be used on youngsters below 3.
  • Use mosquito netting to guard youngsters youthful than 2 months outdated.

Remedy

  • There isn’t a particular antiviral therapy for dengue, in accordance with the CDC.
  • If you’re bit and feeling some signs, hydrate effectively.
  • Take acetaminophen (Tylenol) for ache or fever however don’t take aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen sodium (Aleve, Voltaren). Why? As a result of extreme dengue can result in “bleeding issues, and aspirin and ibuprofen can enhance the danger of bleeding and gastritis,” FIU’s epidemiologist Trepka mentioned.

“Acetaminophen reduces fever and helps with a few of the muscle ache however doesn’t have any impact on blood clotting and does not exacerbate bleeding issues that could be occurring with dengue,” she mentioned.

“Nevertheless, it is rather essential that individuals observe the directions with respect to dosage as an overdose of acetaminophen can completely harm the liver. Moreover, individuals want to have a look at the labels of all of the over-the-counter medicines they’re taking. Many chilly and flu treatments already include a major quantity of acetaminophen.”

If you’re feeling signs and are involved, particularly in case you are feeling sicker, let your physician know as quickly as doable and let him know the place you have been once you received bit, if you already know. Extreme circumstances should be monitored in an intensive care unit.

Are there checks for dengue?

“The checks for dengue embody nucleic acid amplification checks of serum or IgM antibody (take a look at of acute an infection) checks. That might be one thing a health care provider would order if an individual had signs,” Trepka mentioned.

Is there a vaccine for dengue?

There’s a new dengue vaccine in the USA however it’s only licensed for kids who reside in endemic areas, in accordance with the CDC. The vaccine known as Dengvaxia and licensed for kids 9-16 years outdated who reside in endemic areas within the U.S., which suggests the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Trepka defined.

“The scenario is difficult,” she added. “Youngsters require testing previous to their vaccination to doc that they’ve had a earlier dengue an infection. If the kid had dengue an infection earlier than the vaccination, is vaccinated, and are uncovered to the virus once more, they are going to be unlikely to have a extreme an infection.”

There isn’t a licensed vaccine for some other teams in the USA.

Is there a distinction between dengue and Zika?

They’re each transmitted by the identical mosquito species—Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus—two mosquito species now we have in the USA. That signifies that prevention is identical.

They’re completely different viruses, however they belong to the identical genus referred to as flaviviruses.

“What’s distinctive about Zika is that the virus likes to assault neural tissue. That’s the reason the fetuses of pregnant girls are susceptible. If the pregnant girls is contaminated, her fetus can get contaminated, through which case the virus assaults the rising mind resulting in infants being born with microcephaly (small brains) and different extreme delivery defects,” Trepka mentioned.

“So whereas Zika isn’t usually a severe sickness and nearly at all times leads to a light an infection, it may be devastating to pregnant girls, their infants and households. In distinction, dengue can result in extreme hemorrhagic fever comparatively steadily—1 out of 20 people who find themselves symptomatic—and whereas a fetus can develop into contaminated with dengue too, the result’s extra nonspecific with low delivery weight and untimely delivery,” Trepka mentioned.

Are there journey advisories?

There are not any journey advisories at the moment.

The place was the Miami-Dade case discovered?

Citing HIPPA privateness guidelines, the Miami-Dade County well being division wouldn’t pinpoint the area within the county the place the primary dengue case of 2022 was discovered on July 18.

The place is dengue most prevalent?

In line with the World Well being Group’s Pan American Well being Group as of June, the most recent measurement interval, there have been 1,238,528 dengue circumstances, together with 544,125 confirmed circumstances and 426 related deaths, within the Americas. This is a rise of 543,500 circumstances and 217 deaths since Could 4.

America had 104, which is the North American complete.

This does not account for Monday’s confirmed case in Miami-Dade County.

Cuba had 450 circumstances, in accordance with the Pan American Well being Group’s figures.

The 5 nations reporting probably the most circumstances of dengue are:

  • Brazil (1,114,758)
  • Peru (45,816)
  • Colombia (21,576)
  • Nicaragua (12,171)
  • Ecuador (8,449)

Third domestically transmitted dengue fever case confirmed in Miami-Dade County


©2022 Miami Herald.

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What it is advisable find out about dengue, who’s in danger and does it matter the place you bought bit? (2022, July 21)
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