Two cases of Dengue fever have been confirmed in Orange County, prompting Mosquito Control crews to spray targeted areas throughout the county.
On Thursday, August 22, the Florida Department of Health confirmed that two people within Orange County contracted the mosquito-borne virus locally. This means that they did not travel outside of Orange County, or the United States, and still contracted the virus after being bitten by a mosquito.
Steve Harrison, Manager for Orange County Mosquito Control, stated that daytime and nighttime crews are “responding to the situation” by targeting the breed of mosquito, known as Aedes aegypti, that carries the Dengue virus.
According to local health officials, it has been years since a local transmission of Dengue was reported in Orange County. To date, a total of 24 cases have been confirmed by the Florida Department of Health, though nearly all of those cases involved patients that had traveled outside of Orange County, or the United States, to places where the virus is endemic.
While Dengue fever is often a painful and debilitating disease, it is rarely fatal, according to health officials. Symptoms typically appear 3 to 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito and include sudden onset of fever, severe headache, eye pain, muscle and joint pain, and bleeding, along with vomiting and diarrhea in some cases.
Dengue fever symptoms usually last 4 to 7 days.
“This virus is only spread by mosquitoes,” stated Harrison. “The only way for a human to contract Dengue is if they are bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus. The mosquito can only get the virus by biting a person who has it.”
Harrison further stated that the mosquito that primarily carries Dengue has a short flight radius of around 200 yards, and therefore does not venture far from where it originally contracted the virus.
“At the direction of the State of Florida Department of Health, we are targeting our control efforts in the areas of concern to prevent any further transmission,” added Harrison.
Orange County residents dealing with a mosquito-related issue at their home or within their community can report the issue to Mosquito Control by calling Orange County’s 311 hotline.