MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health reported the mosquito season's first locally-acquired case of dengue on Tuesday in Miami-Dade County.
Health officials are also saying, "There is a heightened concern of additional residents becoming ill."
The female Aedes aegypti mosquito, which feeds during daylight hours and has a bite that is relatively painless, is the carrier of the virus. Biting activity is higher in the two hours after sunrise or before sunset.
Each year, up to 400 million people get infected with dengue worldwide and about 22,000 die from severe dengue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The symptoms include fever, nausea, a rash and headache and muscle and join pain.
The last dengue outbreak in Florida was August-September 2013 in Martin County. Health officials identified 28 cases, which included patients ages 4 to 70. Only six were hospitalized.
Health officials advise Miami-Dade residents to cover their skin with clothing or repellent.
Here is a list of tips on how to prevent mosquito bites:
- Wear shoes and socks
- Wear long pants and long-sleeves.
- Use repellents with DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, and IR3535.
- Apply mosquito repellent to bare skin and clothing, but not under clothing.
- Use mosquito netting to protect children younger than 2 months old.
- Use age-appropriate repellent. Do not use repellents with oil of lemon eucalyptus on children under the age of three years. DEET is not recommended for babies under two months old.
- Do not apply repellent on children's hands.