The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned of increased dengue risk in the U.S. Specifically, the agency issued a health advisory communication notifying, “healthcare providers, public health authorities, and the public of escalating [cases] of dengue virus (DENV) infections in the U.S. in 2024.”
The alert describes “higher-than-usual” dengue case numbers contributing to the increased risk of dengue infections in addition to, “countries in the Americas report[ing] a record-breaking number of dengue cases, exceeding the highest number ever recorded in a single year.” Driving the agency’s warning of increased dengue risk in the U.S. is reported data, “[f]rom January 1st – June 24th, [in which] countries in the Americas reported more than 9.7 million dengue cases, twice as many as in all of 2023 (4.6 million cases). In the U.S., Puerto Rico has declared a public health emergency (1,498 cases) and a higher-than-expected number of dengue cases have been identified among U.S. travelers (745 cases) from January 1st – June 24th.” CDC suggested mitigations steps are needed as a result of the increased risk of dengue in the U.S. Specifically, “[i]n the setting of increased global and domestic incidence of dengue, healthcare providers should take steps including:
- [h]ave increased suspicion of dengue among people with fever who have been in areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission within 14 days before illness onset;
- [o]rder appropriate diagnostic tests for acute DENV infection: reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR] and IgM antibody tests, or non-structural protein 1 [NS1] antigen tests and IgM antibody tests,
- [e]nsure timely reporting of dengue cases to public health authorities, and
- [p]romote mosquito bite prevention measures among people living in or visiting areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission.”
The agency also recommended that individuals take measures to mitigate the increased risk of dengue infections in the U.S. including:
- “[l]earn[ing] how to prevent mosquito bites;
- [c]ontrol[ling] mosquitos at home indoors and outdoors;
- [s]eek[ing] medical care if you have a fever or have dengue symptoms and live in or traveled to an area with dengue outbreaks; [and]
- [i]f you [are planning] international travel to an area with frequent or continuous dengue transmission, protect yourself from mosquito bites during and after your trip.”