United States: Another travel-associated dengue virus case has been confirmed in the state, reports the Hawaii Department of Health, taking the total to nine for the year on Oahu.
More about the news
The Deputy Minister of Health (DOH) stated that the affected person visited a place where dengue fever is transmitted; this place was not named.
Teams then had to move to the Oahu-infected area to speed up the inspection and mosquito control.
Overall, nine cases have been reported this year, and out of these, six are travel-associated, and out of the six, two are from Oahu, two from Maui, and one from Kauai, as staradvertiser.com reported.
As per the DOH statement, “Travel exposure identified during these case investigations was spread among various locations around the world,” and “Multiple regions around the world are currently experiencing higher-than-normal dengue activity.”
More about the rising cases
Dengue is found in some regions of Central and South America, Asia, specifically in the Philippines, the Middle East, Africa, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Palau, the U.S Virgin Islands, and parts of the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico.
In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised healthcare providers and the public about the higher risk of dengue infections in the US this year.
CDC added, “Dengue cases resurged globally after the COVID-19 pandemic,” as staradvertiser.com reported.
According to the CDC, the incidence of dengue has been recorded to be the highest in the world this calendar year, particularly among US travelers.
How does dengue spread?
Transmitted from one human being to the other through mosquito, this is as per the DOH. Although Hawaii has the type of mosquito transmitters of dengue, the disease is not endemic in this state.
DOH further stated that anybody who would like to travel or has traveled to an area where the disease is present is susceptible to the infection.
Ideally, Hawaiians should check the information on the particular country four to six weeks before the trip to get the latest information regarding the risk of dengue fever and the preventative measures to be taken in that particular country.