Published On: Sat, Sep 14th, 2019

New Cases of Mosquito-Borne Illness Surface in South Florida

Florida is no stranger to news about mosquito-borne illnesses surfacing. We saw it with the spread of Zika virus and now dengue fever. To protect your family from these disease-carrying insects, it is recommended to have your home regularly inspected by a pest control services company and implement preventive mosquito control measures.

As of recently, new reports have become known involving dengue fever cases in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

The first case of dengue fever in Broward was reported as recent as Friday, while Miami-Dade reported its fourth case.

According to Sun Sentinel, 723 individuals in the tropical region have already died from a mosquito-borne disease, states the Pan American Health Organization.

It is possible that the cases that have surfaced locally include mosquitos that may have bitten people with dengue in South and Central America and the Caribbean, bringing it to South Florida.

Dengue symptoms to watch out for include:

  • High Fever
  • Severe Headaches
  • Pain behind eyeballs
  • Joint and Muscle Aches

Dengue is spread similarly to the Zika virus, through infected Aedes aegypti mosquitos. The only difference is that dengue can be fatal in severe cases, resulting in shock, internal bleeding, and death. There is currently no cure for dengue and no antiviral agent.

Prevention is the best was to avoid contraction:

  • Wear repellent products
  • Wear shoes, socks and long pants with long sleeves at dusk
  • Drain water from garbage cans, house gutters, coolers, etc.
  • Repair broken screening on windows, doors, porches, and patios.
  • If necessary, call in home pest control services to keep your property mosquito-free.

Support your local newspaper with a contribution of any size. Click Here.

About the Author

Discover more from The Boca Raton Tribune

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading