Two more cases of dengue fever confirmed in South Florida. Here’s what you need to know

The Florida Department of Health in Broward County issued a mosquito-borne illness alert for Broward County Friday after two local cases of dengue fever were confirmed.

Broward’s health department urged “diligence” and asked residents to continue to follow the “drain and cover” protocol, such as draining anything in yards that can gather water, like plant pots, garbage cans, gutters, toys or pool covers.

In July, Miami-Dade announced its first case of 2022.

Dr. Isik Unlu, operations manager for the Mosquito Control Division of Miami-Dade County’s Department of Solid Waste Management, recently urged vigilance, too, to help reduce the ill-effects of mosquito bites in the fall season.

“Because we are still under a mosquito-borne illness alert, it is more important than ever to take steps to protect yourself and your family from bites,” he said in a statement on Oct. 5. “We remind everyone to continue to be vigilant about mosquito breeding near them and to always protect themselves with a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered repellent when deciding to spend any extended time outdoors.”

What is dengue?

READ MORE: What you need to know about dengue

Dengue is a virus transmitted by the bite of infected female mosquitoes in the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization. These mosquitoes can also carry the chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika viruses.

According to Florida’s reportable diseases frequency report through Friday, there have been no reported cases of those illnesses in the state this year.

What are dengue’s symptoms?

The most common symptom of dengue is fever but people can also feel nauseous, vomit, develop a rash, have muscle, joint and bone aches and unusual bleeding and bruising. Most people infected with dengue have mild or no symptoms. Those that do develop symptoms typically recover after about one week.

Severe dengue, which can affect one in 20 people, can cause shock, internal bleeding and death, according to the CDC.

The Broward health department suggests that if you or a family member have these symptoms, you should visit your health care provider or a local clinic.

How many dengue cases in the U.S.?

There have been 616 cases of dengue fever in the United States in 2022, through Oct. 5, according to the CDC. In U.S. territories, Puerto Rico and Guam, there were 209 dengue cases reported.

Florida accounts for the majority of dengue cases nationally, with 414 travel associated cases and 16 locally transmitted cases.

California was next with 27 travel associated dengue cases, but none were locally transmitted.

Among territories, Puerto Rico experienced four travel associated cases but 203 locally transmitted cases.