Orange County is reporting two more Florida cases of the mosquito-borne illness known as dengue. The Orange County Department of Health released a statement Monday updating the county total to five locally acquired cases.
The cases add to the state's record-breaking total.
"DOH-Orange, in collaboration with Orange County Mosquito Control, continues to conduct surveillance and implement targeted prevention strategies within affected communities," said Kent Donahue, a health department spokesperson.
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"Response efforts have been further strengthened through enhanced mosquito control measures, including the planned deployment of aerial spraying to help reduce mosquito populations within those affected communities," Donahue said.
Orange County Mosquito Control is applying treatment to an Apopka neighborhood, where the latest cases were found. Another case was reported in Apopka last month, as well as two cases in Pine Hills.
County health officials declared a mosquito-borne illness "alert" last month — the first time it's done so since 2011, due to a West Nile virus outbreak.
As of last week, the state is reporting 296 cases of dengue. That's the most in Florida's history. The majority of cases are in Hillsborough County, with 259 cases.
Last month, the state reported the first dengue death, an 80-year-old Tampa woman.
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On Thursday, Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo was at the Orlando Mariotte Lake Mary hotel for a public hearing addressing the state's proposal to remove school entry vaccine requirements. During the meeting, Ladapo briefly addressed the dengue issue.
"We work very aggressively to address illness in Florida. We're very deeply engaged right now in the dengue outbreak that we have not too far from here," he said.
Dengue is not native to Central Florida. It can emerge after someone visits or returns from another country where the virus is endemic. If someone has the virus and is bitten by the Aedes aegypti mosquito species, then the insect can carry it into its offspring or deliver the virus to another human.
Dengue can present itself with mild symptoms. Some people might not ever know that they are infected, as it can take about 15 days for symptoms to manifest. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three out of four people could be asymptomatic. That makes tracking virus case counts difficult, Harrison said.
However, dengue can also cause pain behind the eyes, and muscle and bone aches, earning it the name"breakbone fever."
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Other symptoms include nausea, bleeding of the gums, rapid breathing, severe abdominal pain, and a fever of 104 degrees. In the worst cases, it can be fatal.
Health officials are encouraging the public to tip, toss or cover any containers holding water. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are known to breed in small volumes of water. The dengue-carrying mosquito can even breed in a bottle cap containing water, according to Orange County Mosquito Control.
Wearing bug spray and long-sleeved clothing can help as well.
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