Maurice Kurtz does not know when or where he was bitten by a dengue-infected mosquito, though he recalled swatting insects while talking with neighbors outside his St. Petersburg home one evening.
“I just got a mosquito bite and I’m recovering from this disease, which has a reputation of being this rare tropical thing,” the 73-year-old said. “The likelihood of you getting it is very, very slim. But it could happen to you – and in [my] case, it did.”
Kurtz described his dengue experience in a story published Thursday by CIDRAP News, affiliated with the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
ALSO READ: Manatee mosquito control helicopter crashes into radio tower, killing pilot
His account comes as the Tampa Bay area – primarily Hillsborough County – deals with an outbreak of the mosquito-borne illness. Since July and through Oct. 10, Hillsborough has 310 confirmed cases and Pinellas has 37, according to a state database.
Kurtz said he woke up Sept. 19 with a temperature of 101 degrees and overwhelming fatigue.
“I went around the block and, oh, I ached so much,” Kurtz told CIDRAP News. “This was way beyond the tightness and aching I get from the most strenuous workouts I’ve ever done.”
After tests for flu and COVID-19 came back negative, Kurtz said he went to an urgent care clinic for a dengue test.
At the time, Pinellas had reported relatively few confirmed locally acquired dengue infections, although there was a state-issued mosquito-borne alert as cases mounted in neighboring Hillsborough.
The clinic staff initially focused on flu and COVID-19. When Kurtz pressed for a dengue test, based on his symptoms, a doctor told him, “Well, it’s really up in north county, in Hillsborough. We don’t have it down here.”
ALSO READ: Pinellas, Hillsborough extend mosquito emergencies as dengue cases increase
Asked whether he had traveled lately, Kurtz told the clinicians he visited Tampa the previous day, although he didn’t think he’d feel so sick. Dengue symptoms typically show several days after the bite from an infected Aedes mosquito.
The clinic eventually took a blood sample, which confirmed the infection.
The Pinellas health department later contacted Kurtz to interview him about his activities and possible exposure. The 45-minute call included questions about where he had been in the preceding weeks, he told CIDRAP News.
He said the illness affected his routines. An avid swimmer, cyclist and runner, Kurtz found himself sleeping more than usual and struggling to regain energy. When he tried to join a group bike ride in early October, he had to drop off and ride at his own pace.
Hillsborough and Pinellas have enacted states of local emergencies because of dengue, and both have increased mosquito control efforts, which include spraying insecticides.
Officials urge property owners to remove objects such as discarded tires, which can hold standing water. This can reduce mosquito breeding opportunities and help limit the spread of disease.
