The Florida Department of Health in Broward County on Monday reported its first locally acquired case of dengue fever this year and issued a mosquito-borne illness advisory.
Broward is the eighth Florida county to confirm a locally acquired case during a current outbreak, which has mostly been limited to the Tampa Bay area – primarily Hillsborough County.
According to a news release, the Broward health department and mosquito control are coordinating surveillance, prevention and control efforts.
In data through Sept. 26, the state reported 252 cases of locally acquired dengue since July, with nearly 90 percent in Hillsborough County (223).
ALSO READ: Hillsborough adds 53 dengue cases, gets help from Lee to control mosquito spread
Bordering counties Pinellas reported 13 and Pasco had three. Last week, the three counties extended states of emergency to fight regional spread.
In South Florida, Miami-Dade reported eight and Palm Beach had three. Usually, most state cases are in South Florida, around the Miami area.
Other Florida counties to record dengue this year are Orange, with three, and Polk with one.
Health experts advise these numbers are likely undercounts. Symptoms don’t usually begin until about two weeks after being bitten by an infected Aedes species mosquito. Many infected people don’t even get sick.
Severe cases can cause bleeding, shock and death. There has been one dengue death in Florida this year — an elderly Tampa woman on Sept. 4.
Florida's current outbreak appears to be the largest since the 1940s in the continental United States, according to the Associated Press, citing available information from state health departments and medical journals.
Florida tends to get a lot of dengue in part because the state receives a lot of travelers who have been to Puerto Rico or other places where the disease is present, experts said.
An advisory is a warning that mosquito-borne disease activity has been detected and residents should take precautions. An alert generally indicates a greater level of concern, often involving confirmed local human transmission and a more aggressive public health response.
ALSO READ: Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties declare states of emergency to battle dengue fever
According to the Department of Health, Brevard, Broward, Leon, Palm Beach, Polk and Walton counties are under an advisory. Alachua, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Orange, Pasco and Pinellas are under an alert.
Local mosquito control agencies fight the spread of mosquito-borne illness through aerial and ground pesticide spraying. Workers also check properties for pooled water, including in tires, where mosquitoes breed.
People in an outbreak area should also take their own steps for protection, experts say.
Infected Aedes female mosquitoes can bite any time of day, so it's important for people in an outbreak area to apply federally registered insect repellents containing active ingredients like DEET, experts say.
Wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and long pants to cover the skin and make it harder for mosquitoes to bite. Staying indoors, behind screens or in rooms with air conditioning will also lessen the chances for a bite.
Those steps are especially important just after sunrise and around sunset, when mosquitoes tend to be most active, researchers say.
People should also check their properties and get rid of any pooled water.
