United States: Residents of Florida state are still bearing the impact brought about by heavy downpours resulting from the recent Hurricanes Milton and Helene.
A newly emerging disease, Fox Weather found that the people in the Tampa area are now also struggling with a new mosquito-transmitted disease called Dengue fever.
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Hurricanes Helene and Milton carried water in west-central Florida before it reached rivers, and mosquitoes like to breed – in or near standing water that formed after Milton, October 9.
Since then, the Hillsborough County Department of Health has reported four new locally acquired domestic dengue fever cases, according to Fox Weather.
Over fifty cases have been confirmed in Florida alone. On a positive note, however, the WHO indicates that most of those infected with dengue do not show any symptoms, which means they are asymptomatic, TCD News reported.
Dengue fever rise
For those who are not acquainted with dengue fever, it begins with such flu-like symptoms as headache. However, it can progress rapidly to unbearable joint discomfort, according to Dr. John Sinnott from the University of South Florida and the field of infectious disease.
“I’ve seen patients with this, and their pain is remarkable,” Sinnott added.
However, the spread of dengue fever is quite alarming because its occurrence is on the rise globally due to conditions that favor the disease.
Global and ocean warming prepares the way for extreme flooding events in which mosquito breeding is possible in areas that are not traditionally warm and, therefore, not breeding grounds for the dengue fever mosquitoes.
The Americas, in general, is witnessing a slightly almost four hundred percent increase in the disease.
A word of warning: those who contracted the virus in Puerto Rico suffered longer and more severe symptoms if they got infected for the second or the third time, TCD News reported.
Brazil also saw a huge rise in 2024, with an incidence quadrupling in January compared to the same period last year, according to the BBC.
In response, Fox Weather reports that the Hillsborough County Public Works department has maintained removal efforts by pumping water from the area and aerially watering to minimize dissemination.
They are also urging residents to throw away or cover all sources of standing water.