Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease related to the viruses that cause West Nile and yellow fever.
Dengue fever can be a painful, debilitating disease but is rarely fatal.
Several cases are reported in Florida each year in people traveling to areas where the disease is present. These imported cases are usually from dengue endemic regions such as the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Asia.
The close proximity of areas with dengue such as Puerto Rico and frequent international travel in Florida residents makes it possible to have dengue re-introduced.
Disease Prevention
Learn about steps that can be taken to help prevent mosquito and tick bites and ways to maximize protection against vector-borne illnesses.
Transmission
Dengue infection is acquired through the bite of certain species of mosquitoes, primarily Aedes aegypti, but also Aedes albopictus, both of which are present in Florida.
Symptoms
Symptoms appear 3-14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito and include sudden onset of fever, severe headache, eye pain, muscle and joint pain (giving the disease the nickname “breakbone fever”), and bleeding. Gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea may also be present in some cases.
Dengue fever symptoms usually lasts 4-7 days. The disease is often diagnosed incorrectly because the symptoms are similar to influenza and other viruses.
Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a rare but more severe form of dengue infection that can be fatal if not recognized and treated with supportive care.
Chikungunya and Dengue
It is important to note that a person can be infected with chikungunya and dengue viruses at the same time as they are both carried by the same types of mosquitoes. Therefore, it is important that providers consider both dengue fever and CHIK when evaluating suspect cases with travel to areas where both viruses are present.
Testing is the only way for a health care provider to definitively differentiate CHIK and dengue fever.
Treatment
There is no treatment for dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever, but quick recognition and management of symptoms and complications is effective at preventing deaths.
Information for Travelers
Follow mosquito-borne disease prevention strategies if you are traveling to a tropical or sub-tropical area (Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Central, and South America).
View travel health notices when traveling internationally to understand any local risks.
Surveillance and Data
Information for Health Care Providers
Disease Reporting Requirement
All practitioners, health care facilities, and laboratories in Florida are required to notify the Florida Department of Health of diseases or conditions of public health significance under section 381.0031, Florida Statutes, and Chapter 64D-3, Florida Administrative Code.
Dengue Clinical Case Management Course provides information to enable physicians to recognize dengue cases early in the clinical course, assess patients appropriately, and provide timely treatment. This course is free and CMEs and CEUs are available.
Dengue for Florida Clinicians Training (taped November 15, 2019): Dengue IgM and IgG Antibody Response during Primary and Secondary Dengue Infections