Dengue And Chikungunya Viruses Pose ‘Imminent Threat’ Of Outbreak In Florida This Summer
By Dana Dovey
MedicalDaily.com
Jun 5, 2014
Things aren’t looking too good for Florida this summer. It was only last week a young woman got bit in the leg by a bull shark in the Fort Lauderdale waters, and now two mosquito-borne diseases are posing a serious threat to residents and visitors of the Sunshine State.
Health officials are warning those in the Florida area to take steps to control the mosquito populations in order to halt the spread of two serious mosquito-borne diseases: dengue fever and chikungunya, Reuters reported. There are already scattered cases of both diseases, and experts are worried the state may be on the cusp of an outbreak. “The threat is greater than I’ve seen in my lifetime,” said Walter Tabachnick, director of the Florida Medical Entomological Laboratory in Vero Beach, Reuters reported.
Imminent Threat
As of last week, there have been 24 confirmed cases of dengue fever and 18 confirmed cases of chikungunya. All cases occurred in individuals who traveled to the Caribbean or South America recently. Both diseases are spread by mosquitos, and experts worry that local pests may pick up the viruses by biting infected individuals. “Sooner or later, our mosquitoes will pick it up and transmit it to us. That is the imminent threat,” Tabachnick added. If and when this occurs, Florida will find itself in the midst of an outbreak.
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