Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100521/FREE/100529947
May 21, 2010 7:57 PM
Florida Dengue fever outbreak could be threat to NYers
First diagnosed case of deadly tropical illness was a woman from Rochester, N.Y., who caught the mosquito-carried disease in the Florida Keys. She was diagnosed by ?one sharp doctor? upstate.
By Gale Scott
Dengue fever is common in tropical areas but has not been seen in the U.S. since 1945. Here, an employee of the Uruguayan Ministry of Health fumigates a park during a campaign against Dengue fever in Montevideo in 2007.
Dengue fever, a much-feared tropical viral illness that in its most severe form can liquefy vital organs, has been diagnosed in dozens of people in Key West, Fla., and even in a woman from Rochester, N.Y. who had visited Florida last year.
Since dengue fever can be transmitted both by mosquitoes and blood transfusions, infectious disease experts say it could spread to other parts of the U.S. if an infected traveler brings it home.
The concerns came to light after a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released on Thursday stated that the illness was first diagnosed in 2009 in a 34-year-old Rochester woman who had returned from a weeklong vacation in Key West.
Her primary care physician, Dr. Adriane Trout, first treated her for a routine viral infection, but the patient didn't improve. A week later, when the patient said she still didn't feel well, Dr. Trout tested her for Dengue. The results were positive. The woman has since recovered, but after Dr. Trout notified health officials in Monroe County, Fla., they began testing other patients for Dengue and have since found 28 cases in patients ranging from ages 15 to 73. Most reported unusual bleeding including blood in their urine.
The CDC is urging all doctors with patients who have mysterious fevers and have been in a subtropical area to test them for Dengue.
Since many New Yorkers travel back and forth to the Florida Keys, Columbia University public health expert Dr. Ian Lipkin said there is reason for concern. ?It's a reasonable thing to wonder whether there have been other undiagnosed cases,? Dr. Lipkin said, adding that two types of mosquitoes known to spread the illness are common in New York and New Jersey...
May 21, 2010 7:57 PM
Florida Dengue fever outbreak could be threat to NYers
First diagnosed case of deadly tropical illness was a woman from Rochester, N.Y., who caught the mosquito-carried disease in the Florida Keys. She was diagnosed by ?one sharp doctor? upstate.
By Gale Scott
Dengue fever is common in tropical areas but has not been seen in the U.S. since 1945. Here, an employee of the Uruguayan Ministry of Health fumigates a park during a campaign against Dengue fever in Montevideo in 2007.
Dengue fever, a much-feared tropical viral illness that in its most severe form can liquefy vital organs, has been diagnosed in dozens of people in Key West, Fla., and even in a woman from Rochester, N.Y. who had visited Florida last year.
Since dengue fever can be transmitted both by mosquitoes and blood transfusions, infectious disease experts say it could spread to other parts of the U.S. if an infected traveler brings it home.
The concerns came to light after a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released on Thursday stated that the illness was first diagnosed in 2009 in a 34-year-old Rochester woman who had returned from a weeklong vacation in Key West.
Her primary care physician, Dr. Adriane Trout, first treated her for a routine viral infection, but the patient didn't improve. A week later, when the patient said she still didn't feel well, Dr. Trout tested her for Dengue. The results were positive. The woman has since recovered, but after Dr. Trout notified health officials in Monroe County, Fla., they began testing other patients for Dengue and have since found 28 cases in patients ranging from ages 15 to 73. Most reported unusual bleeding including blood in their urine.
The CDC is urging all doctors with patients who have mysterious fevers and have been in a subtropical area to test them for Dengue.
Since many New Yorkers travel back and forth to the Florida Keys, Columbia University public health expert Dr. Ian Lipkin said there is reason for concern. ?It's a reasonable thing to wonder whether there have been other undiagnosed cases,? Dr. Lipkin said, adding that two types of mosquitoes known to spread the illness are common in New York and New Jersey...