Dengue fever case in Arizona may have been locally acquired, officials say

An individual in Maricopa County, Arizona, has been recognized with dengue fever, well being officers introduced this week, including that this case could possibly be the county’s first that was acquired regionally, moderately than from journey. If true, it will make Arizona simply the second state to date this 12 months to have a case that stemmed from a regionally acquired an infection.

There have been 10 different circumstances of dengue fever reported in Arizona from Jan. 1 by Nov. 2 of this 12 months, in line with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, however all these have been travel-related. 

In a information launch Monday, the Maricopa County Division of Public Well being mentioned the contaminated particular person “might need been uncovered by an contaminated mosquito” within the county. The virus was detected in a single neighborhood amid routine surveillance by the county’s Environmental Companies Division. 

“Whereas earlier dengue circumstances in Maricopa County have been associated to journey to international locations the place dengue generally happens, it is very important perceive if others may have been uncovered or if that is an remoted incident,” medical epidemiologist Dr. Nick Staab mentioned in a press release. “That is along with our routine investigations of anybody suspected to have dengue or different mosquito-borne illnesses.”  

Dengue fever is unfold by mosquito bites, though a fetus can be contaminated if the carrying mum or dad contracts the virus throughout being pregnant. Whereas as much as 400 million folks get contaminated yearly, with about 40,000 dying from extreme sickness, outbreaks within the U.S. solely often occur, the CDC says. Practically all circumstances within the continental U.S. stem from journey.     

About 25% of contaminated people develop delicate flu-like signs, Maricopa County well being officers mentioned, however about 1 in 20 folks “can get severely unwell.” 

Up to now this 12 months, at the very least 888 circumstances of dengue fever have been reported in 36 states, in line with the CDC. All however one state – Florida – had their circumstances solely stem from journey. Two territories – Guam and Puerto Rico – have additionally been hit with dengue circumstances, with the overwhelming majority of Puerto Rico’s circumstances being local-born. 

Maricopa County discipline groups made up of employees and volunteers at the moment are providing dengue testing to residents ages 5 and older within the neighborhood the place the most recent case was found. The testing can determine an an infection which could have occurred within the “final a number of months,” the county mentioned. They’re additionally offering residents with mosquito prevention kits.

The information comes months after a research revealed within the Frontiers in Public Well being journal discovered that local weather change has develop into “one of many key causes” dengue fever transmission has develop into extra intense. 

“A very powerful climatic elements linked to dengue transmission are temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity,” the research decided. 

Research authors did word that there nonetheless must be important analysis on this space, and that “relationships between quite a few environmental circumstances and dengue transmission are complicated and typically non-linear.” 

Rainfall and temperature are each essential elements within the capacity for mosquitos to put eggs and develop, and the rising excessive ranges of each with local weather change may contribute to modifications within the unfold of dengue fever, researchers mentioned.