21 New Dengue Cases Confirmed in Florida

As the summer of 2023 comes to a close, disease-carrying mosquitoes in Florida are not taking a break.

According to the Florida Department of Health's week #34 report, 21 new dengue virus cases were reported last week.

On August 28, 2023, twenty new dengue cases were reported this week in persons who had international travel. There are now 244 travel-associated dengue cases reported in Florida this year.

These dengue-infected visitors primarily came from Cuba (165) and Brazil (13).

Additionally, and more concerning, one new locally acquired dengue was reported last week in Miami-Dade County. In 2023, 16 cases of locally acquired dengue have been reported this year, with Miami-Dade confirmed 12 patients.

This data is positive news compared to 2022 when 68 locally acquired dengue cases were reported.

Furthermore, it appears the malaria outbreak in the Sarasota area has subsided. No cases of locally acquired malaria were reported last week.

In 2023, seven cases of locally acquired malaria have been reported.

While the U.S. CDC has not issued a travel advisory for these mosquito-carry diseases, various alerts have been issued by Escambia, Jefferson, Nassau, Orange, Polk, St. Johns, Walton, Broward, Manatee, Miami-Dade, and Sarasota counties.

In total, the CDC has confirmed 642 dengue cases in 38 jurisdictions this year, including San Juan, Puerto Rico with 41 cases.

From a disease prevention perspective, one dengue vaccine is approved for use in the U.S. The Dengvaxia® live attenuated tetravalent chimeric vaccine requires pre-admission testing.