FL: 1st case in 80+ yrs detected in Key West

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Rare-Disease-Surfaces-in-Key-West-57760712.html

Rare Disease Surfaces in Key West
Florida hasn't seen a case of dengue fever in over 80 years
By TODD WRIGHT
Updated 4:11 PM EDT, Tue, Sep 8, 2009

As if swine flu wasn’t enough to scare you away from human contact, a disease rarely seen in a developed country has reportedly surfaced on South Florida shores.

A woman in Key West had recently come down with a bout of the Dengue fever, the first such reported case in Florida in over 80 years.

The woman, who was visiting from New York, may have contracted the virus in the Keys, according to physicians in New York. Mosquitoes, not humans, can be thanked for the transmission of the virus. With all this talk of swine flu, we're sure mosquitoes were beginning to feel forgotten.

Key West officials have yet to confirm that woman had Dengue or contracted it in Monroe County, but they have stepped up efforts to spray for mosquitoes throughout the area to ensure there will be no outbreak of the virus.

Symptoms of dengue include high fever, headache, pain behind the eyes, backache, joint pains and sometimes rash. The pain can be so excruciating to the joints that the fever is sometimes called "breakbone" or "bonecrusher" fever.

And Dengue can develop into a deadly type of disease called dengue shock syndrome.

The mosquito that transmits the potentially deadly virus hunts in the day as opposed to other mosquito species which prefer for the cool of night. Looks like picking your poison might be between an insect and swine.
First Published: Sep 8, 2009 3:11 PM EDT

 

[Shiloh]

Re: FL: 1st case in 80+ yrs detected in Key West

Source: http://www.keysnet.com/news/story/141831.html


Dengue fever cases found in Key West
CDC coming south to do tests

By SEAN KINNEY
skinney@keynoter.com
Posted - Saturday, September 19, 2009 11:04 AM EDT

Keys health officials say they've confirmed three Key West cases of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral illness characterized by a flat red body rash, fatigue, nausea and joint aches.

"Everyone who was ill has fully recovered," says Bob Eadie, administrator of the Monroe County Health Department. "Dengue is rare in Florida, but not unknown. It's just one of several mosquito-borne illnesses monitored by the department and why we continually remind the public to take precautions against mosquito bites."

Eadie says dengue is hardly rare -- more than 100 million cases were reported worldwide last year. But it's rare in Florida.

The department said one of the Key West cases, involving a New York tourist, was the first locally acquired case of dengue reported in the state in more than 40 years.

The state Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are sending a team to Key West this weekend to interview residents and take blood samples in an effort to identify the specific serotype of the virus and to determine its place of origin.

And the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District has increased aerial and ground spraying, and environmental surveys. Director Ed Fussell says staffers also are going door to door identifying potential mosquito breeding sites.

Swine flu and the season flu

Meanwhile, health officials say they've stopped keeping count of the number of residents with the H1N1 swine flu but are planning to administer the vaccine against it October.

"The [CDC] does not recommend testing for H1N1 because it is so prevalent," says Health Department spokesman Chris Tittle. "We're just considering anyone who has influenza-like symptoms has H1N1."

Tittle and his colleagues are working with officials in the School District to set up stations where high-risk demographics can receive the vaccination.

"We're going to activate these mass vaccination sites. We would inoculate the kids [with parents' approval] in the school during the normal school day. I believe the plan is we're going to be hanging around a couple of hours after school lets out for any adults that want to come get the vaccine."

The main thrust of the vaccination is to target pregnant women, people under 24, the elderly and folks with chronic illnesses or otherwise weakened immune systems.

Keys Safe Schools Coordinator Sunny Booker says there are 10 suspected cases of swine flu in the school system, but only one case actually confirmed by a blood test.

"The bottom line is H1N1 is the flu and people are going to get it," Booker says. "It's always serious and we should treat it seriously."

 

[Shiloh]

Re: FL: 1st case in 80+ yrs detected in Key West

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-18444-Roc...~y2009m9d19-Dengue-fever-outbreak-in-Key-West

Dengue fever outbreak in Key West
September 19, 9:37 PM Rochester Infectious Disease Examiner Charles Simmins

News reports from Key West, Florida, report that three patients have been discovered with dengue fever. All three have recovered.

Dengue fever is a viral illness spread by two species of mosquito, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. These are day feeders, unlike many mosquito species. The illness is found world wide, with an estimated 100 million cases per year.

The illness is most common in the tropics, and has erupted in the past in those areas of the United States that fall into that climate category. Hawaii had a serious outbreak in 2001-2002. Cases have also been seen in Puerto Rico and Texas. The L.A. Times reported on a fatal case in California in 2008. Other instances of dengue fever in the United States were acquired abroad by travelers.

The last forty years have seen a decrease in mosquito control efforts by public health agencies in the United States. Concerns over the use of insecticides like DDT and loss of funding for public health agencies in general are the primary reasons. The several Aedes species of mosquito had been near eradicated in many areas but have now returned to areas they favor.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) often results when medical care is poor or unavailable. DHF is often fatal. Dengue fever has a mortality rate of five percent in most affected nations due to the status of their medical establishment and the quality of medical care. Quality medical care care reduce the mortality rate to one percent.

Along with dengue fever, the Aedes carry yellow fever. Yellow fever was well known to pioneer America, and epidemics of the illness ravaged cities in the United States throughout the 1700's and 1800's. The last yellow fever epidemic in the U.S. was in 1905. The mortality for yellow fever ranges from 15-50%. Because of the return of the Aedes mosquitoes the potential exists that yellow fever will also spread as dengue since 1981.
For more info: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have fact sheets for dengue fever and for yellow fever.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: FL: 1st case in 80+ yrs detected in Key West

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1244485.html


Posted on Monday, 09.21.09
Key West health advisory issued for dengue fever

The Associated Press

KEY WEST, Fla. -- A health advisory has been issued for Key West after three people were diagnosed with dengue (DEHN'-gay) fever.

Bob Eadie, Administrator of Monroe County Health Department, on Monday said that all three people have since fully recovered. Eadie issued the advisory last week.

In August, a tourist from New York was in Key West and when she returned to home she started experiencing flulike symptoms. He doctor confirmed it was dengue fever. A husband and wife from Key West were also diagnosed with the illness.

There are no indications of infections for September, but health officials are investigating, Eadie said.

"We take this issue very seriously," Susan Smith, Florida Department of Health spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. "We are partnering with the local CHD and encourage the public to remain vigilant in protecting themselves against mosquitoes by using repellent and other preventative methods."

Dengue fever is a flulike illness spread by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito.
The Miami Herald

 

[Shiloh]

Re: FL: 1st case in 80+ yrs detected in Key West

Source: http://www.keysnet.com/news/story/144158.html


Experts still looking to test Key Westers for dengue
Specific area of Old Town is isolated

By SEAN KINNEY
skinney@keynoter.com
Posted - Saturday, September 26, 2009 11:00 AM EDT

If you decide to volunteer your blood for testing of the dengue fever in Old Town Key West, you can kiss that blood goodbye, because it's going on a long trip for a month or so.

Those who volunteer for testing with the state and county health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- 300 people are sought -- will have their blood sent to a lab in Puerto Rico. That's where the CDC's main dengue-fever work is done.

In fact, while the outbreak of the fever in Key West is a major health concern, it's also being used as a research opportunity, says Beth Radke, a scientist with the state Department of Health. She's among a team of experts who flew to Key West earlier this week trying to isolate where the fever was spread.

Three cases of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease that includes symptoms such as fever, headaches and rashes, were found in Old Town in August; the three people who had it are recovered.

The teams of scientists sampling residents to determine the extent of the disease have established two 3,280-square-foot perimeters centered on the intersection of Windsor Lane and Catherine Street near the city cemetery, and another centered on the 1300 block of Catherine Street.

"We're glad to have the experts here to do what needs to be done to determine the extent of Dengue in the community," county Health Department Director Bob Eadie said. "Any help that residents can provide to these teams in their investigation will go a long way toward helping all of us understand where we're at with the virus."

The target of the investigation is the aedus aegypti, or container-breeding, mosquito, which as its name suggests breeds in containers or other places where there is standing water.

Inspectors with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District have been going door to door asking to take a look at residents' yards and property.

"We're glad that so many residents so far have been willing to open their gates to us and let us survey their properties," head inspector Mikki Coss said. "It makes the job of protecting the public so much easier when people invite us in to do what we must do."

The inspectors are working with health officials to control and study the presence of dengue in Key West.

When interviewing potential carriers, questions focus on time spent outdoors, use of precautions, condition of property and residence, and illness with fever in the past three months. And, of course, there's a request for a blood sample.

"The reason we have to do blood samples is because a lot of people that get dengue never show symptoms," Radke said.

Another aspect of the team's research is a scan of recent patient records at Lower Keys Medical Center, which opened them up at the Health Department's request. Radke said she looked at records of patients who showed symptoms of dengue around the time the three cases were confirmed.

If they find a match, the patient is contacted and interviewed. That's how investigators located the New York visitor who contracted dengue. The case was confirmed because the man's local doctor tested him for the virus.

Radke said all records scans were done maintaining federal standards and patient confidentiality.

If you find a flyer on your door from health officials asking if you're willing to be tested, call 809-5653 or 924-6839.

There are more than 100 million cases of dengue reported each year worldwide. The Key West cases are the first in Florida in some four decades.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: FL: 1st case in 80+ yrs detected in Key West

Source: http://www.keysnet.com/news/story/160227.html

Tests show 99 are touched by Keys dengue outbreak
240 are tested after dengue cases in July

By SEAN KINNEY
skinney@keynoter.com
Posted - Saturday, November 14, 2009 11:01 AM EST

Survey results are back from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's dengue research center in Puerto Rico and, out of 240 Old Town Key West residents that gave blood for testing, 99 tested positive for dengue fever or the associated antibodies.

More specifically:

# Ninety-one people tested positive for dengue antibodies, meaning that at some point in their lives they had been exposed to the virus.

# Six tested positive for having the virus in the past three months.

# Two tested "acute positive," meaning they actually had dengue fever when their blood was drawn a month ago.

Dengue fever was first reported in Key West in July. It represented the first documented presence of dengue in Florida in more than 40 years.

Generally speaking, you know you may have dengue fever by getting the chills, headaches, pain when moving your eyes, and pain in the lower back, legs and joints.

Body temperature rises quickly as high as 104 degrees, and with it comes a relatively low heart rate and low blood pressure. You can also get a pink rash on your face, and have your neck and groin glands swell.

"Throughout the tropics, many large cities have endemic dengue," Monroe County Health Department Administrator Bob Eadie said Friday." They function very well."

He also said of the cases confirmed in Key West, the vast majority have been asymptomatic and treatment has been successful.

Mosquitoes transmit the virus from person to person, like malaria.

Mark Whiteside, the county's executive medical director, said that generally speaking, dengue outbreaks "come in waves. This is our golden opportunity over the winter to see if we can nip this thing in the bud."

Winter is significant, as it is the dry season, which is bad for mosquitoes looking to lay eggs in stagnant freshwater.

"Old Town Key West probably represents one of the most ideal breeding habitats in the country," Ed Fussell, director of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, said.

That in mind, he stressed the importance of residents taking steps to eliminate breeding habitat by emptying containers that hold water.

"The key is breaking that breeding cycle, and that depends on public cooperation," Eadie said.

Every year about 100 million people worldwide contract the virus.

For more information on how to protect yourself, call the Health Department at 809-5653 or the Mosquito Control District at 292-7190.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: FL: 1st case in 80+ yrs detected in Key West

Source: http://news.ufl.edu/2009/11/23/dengue/


Dengue virus returns to Florida after more than 50 years, UF researchers say
Filed under Florida, Health, Research on Monday, November 23, 2009.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. ? University of Florida mosquito researchers are watching with a wary eye as dengue virus returns to the state after more than 50 years.

By late last week, 20 cases of locally transmitted dengue had been confirmed in Key West. Monroe County officials have issued a health alert and launched an education campaign urging residents to eliminate water sources in and around their homes where mosquitoes can breed.

?We haven?t seen dengue in Florida in a long time, but this does give us evidence that we can have it again,? said Roxanne Connelly, an associate professor of medical entomology with UF?s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Dengue fever, also known as break-bone fever or bonecrusher disease, is a rarely fatal but widespread disease transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected mosquito. There are an estimated 100 million cases of dengue worldwide each year.

As its names suggest, dengue brings high fever, severe headaches and joint and muscle pain. It is often misdiagnosed as influenza.

Besides the dengue re-emergence in the Florida Keys, Connelly, based at the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach, said health officials were surprised by a door-to-door survey of Key West residents. Connelly and Jonathan Day, a medical entomology professor at the Vero Beach laboratory, collaborate with the health and vector-control officials.

After some 240 residents allowed health officials to draw a small blood sample, test results showed that 41 percent had been exposed to the dengue virus or other Flavivirus, either through exposure to one of the viruses or through vaccinations, such as the yellow fever vaccine.

?Much like a lot of other mosquito-borne diseases, some people can have it and not have any symptoms, while others end up very sick,? Connelly said.

The last big dengue epidemic in Florida was in 1934 and left more than 25,000 Floridians ill, Day said.

Researchers don?t expect this outbreak to reach beyond Monroe County, but it?s a strong reminder for Floridians to be on guard.

Dengue is spread by two mosquito species, commonly known as the yellow fever mosquito and Asian tiger mosquito. Both lay eggs on the sides of water-filled containers.

The yellow fever mosquito is mostly confined to South Florida, while the Asian tiger mosquito is found throughout the state, though not in the Florida Keys.

The yellow fever mosquito is prevalent in the Old Town part of Key West, Day said, and has an affinity for a local cemetery full of rain-catching urns and vases. Many of the recent dengue cases were in the Old Town area, he said.

Unlike many mosquitoes that are active in the morning and evening, the yellow fever and Asian tiger mosquitoes are unusual in that they will bite in broad daylight.

Connelly advises residents to take a careful look at their homes and yards, looking for even tiny amounts of standing water. Boat tarps, birdbaths, gutters, empty soda cans ? anything that will hold water should be suspect and emptied or discarded.

Pet dishes emptied every few days aren?t a worry, she said. And while it?s not as common, residents can inadvertently breed mosquitoes indoors, she said.

One way: Small decorative bamboo plants hold just enough water to interest a mosquito looking to lay eggs.

Other suggestions for residents include wearing long pants and sleeves when possible and wearing a repellent that includes the active ingredient DEET.

Connelly and Day are members of UF?s Emerging Pathogens Institute, whose researchers work to prevent or contain new and re-emerging diseases that threaten Floridians. EPI will open a new facility on UF?s Gainesville campus in January.
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Credits

Writer
Mickie Anderson, mickiea@ufl.edu, 352-273-3566
Source
Roxanne Connelly , crr@ufl.edu, 772-778-7200
Source
Jonathan Day, jfda@ufl.edu, 772-778-7200