There’s a case of dengue fever in the Keys, health officials say
A case of the dengue fever has been confirmed in the Florida Keys, the state health department in Monroe County said Monday.
“All indications are that this infection was locally acquired,” said Alison Kerr, the agency’s spokeswoman.
The health department has laboratory confirmation of the case, Kerr said.
The patient, who was not identified by name or exact location, received medical treatment and is expected to make a full recovery.
There are no other confirmed cases at this time.
Key West experienced an outbreak of dengue in 2009 with 47 cases and saw 65 more cases in 2010, but then none until 2016, when a tourist was treated for the virus.
Dengue can present as a severe flu-like illness with severe muscle aches and pain, fever and sometimes a rash.
Symptoms will appear within 10 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
The virus is not contagious. Instead it is transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same one that carries the virus for yellow fever, Zika and chikungunya.
“The emergence of this dengue case reinforces the importance for the public to prevent insect bites and to take basic precautions to help limit exposure,” Kerr said.
Measures include using window screens and air conditioning and not letting containers around a home fill with water, the health department said. People should also wear protective clothing and insect repellents.
“The health department in Monroe and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District are working closely to continue surveillance and prevention efforts. Florida Keys Mosquito Control District is assisting with the investigation and has intensified its mosquito control activities,” Kerr said in a statement.
Also on Monday, the health department in Monroe reported a suspected case of bacterial meningitis. That patient, who sources familiar with the case said was a 2-year-old boy in Key West, died Friday.
There is no public health threat of bacterial meningitis, Kerr said.
A Keys resident has died of suspected bacterial meningitis, health department says
