United States: Los Angeles County public health authorities are confronted with a fourth bout of dengue in just over two weeks as findings by public health officials increase indications of dengue infection in the region for the first time.
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Three of the four patients reported that they have not traveled to areas that are endemic for dengue and that the cases are therefore established local transmission from infected mosquitoes, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a statement.
The infection disclosed on Wednesday is unrelated to a cluster of three cases reported earlier in the month, authorities confirmed.
Dengue fever, also known as breakbone fever, is at its highest incidence globally this year than ever before. Though the mosquito that transmits the pathogen elsewhere is present in LA County, dengue has not before been spread locally through infected insects, authorities said.
Moreover, as Muntu Davis, the county’s health officer said, “We are seeing the local transmission of dengue, which is unprecedented in Los Angeles County,” eattletimes.com reported.
“Preventing mosquito bites and mosquito breeding is the best way to stop the ongoing local transmission of dengue,” Davis added.
In June, the US CDC published a health alert to alert health-care providers to increased dengue in many areas across the Americas. The agency said that local transmission has been identified in more areas including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Florida in 2024.