US issues warning due to increase in dengue cases

US health authorities asked the country’s doctors to be alerts for cases of dengue, at a time when the tropical disease is breaking international records.

Cases of dengue, whose virus is spread by mosquito bites, have increased around the world, driven by climate change. In just six months, several countries on the American Continent have surpassed dengue case records for a whole year.

The World Health Organization declared an emergency in December and Puerto Rico declared a public health emergency in March.

Dengue remains less common in the continental United States, but so far this year, there have been three times as many cases in all 50 states as in the same period last year. Most were infections contracted abroad and authorities admit there is no evidence of an outbreak currently, but warn that local mosquitoes continue to pose a threat.

In its alert issued Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised doctors to familiarize themselves with symptoms, ask patients where they have recently traveled and order dengue tests if they deem it necessary.

Dengue is transmitted by a tropical mosquito whose population is expanding due to climate change, according to experts.

Many infected people do not get sick, but some experience headaches, fever, and general malaise. Severe cases can lead to hemorrhage, shock and death.

Recurrent infections can be particularly dangerous.

There are four types of dengue viruses, known simply as types 1, 2, 3 and 4. When someone is infected, the body develops lifelong antibodies against that type of dengue. But if you become infected with another type of dengue, the antibodies from the first infection may not be effective and may actually help the virus penetrate cells and replicate.

This is a source of concern in Puerto Rico, which in the last two decades has been primarily exposed to dengue type 1. Last month, the island reported its first dengue death this year.

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