Texas health officials report first locally acquired case of dengue virus in 2024

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: KHOU-11 Houston, TX

Published: 8:25 PM CST November 25, 2024
Updated: 8:25 PM CST November 25, 2024


CAMERON COUNTY, Texas — One person is sick with a case of dengue virus that was transmitted in Texas, health officials announced Monday. It's the first locally-acquired case of the virus in Texas this year.

Health officials said the case was reported in a Cameron County resident. Cameron County is the southernmost county in Texas. No other details of the patient were provided. The virus is transmitted by infected mosquitoes. Dengue virus cases in the United States are most often from travel to regions where infected mosquitoes are common, like the Caribbean, South and Central America, the South Pacific, Asia and Africa.

Cases of the virus spiked in 2024. Texas healthcare providers treated 106 people with travel-related viruses so far this year. One patient died after contracting the virus. This is the highest number of cases of dengue virus in Texas since 2002.

There have been 40 locally-acquired cases of dengue in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Val Verde, Webb and Willacy counties since 2013. There have been 665 total cases of dengue virus treated in Texas in that time.


Read more: https://www.khou.com/article/news/health/dengue-virus-reported-texas-2024/285-617a8912-df60-45a2-8035-27384dd485ee

[bronxiteforever]

1. Climate change is a significant factor in its spread

Climate warming is expanding dengue burden in the Americas and Asia
2024 Jan 9:2024

Dengue, vectored by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, is expected to present a growing risk with warming temperatures relative to other vector-borne diseases due to its particularly warm thermal optimum (29 and 26°C for the two mosquito vectors, respectively)… In addition to considering temperature, studies to estimate drivers of disease burden may incorporate several additional covariates including El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), urban infrastructure, age structure, human mobility, and immunity (based on past exposure)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10802639/#S1

[evemac]

2. Scary

I have a friend in Boulder whose son contracted dengue while in South America. Apparently it's fairly treatable the first time you get it, but it becomes very dangerous if you contact it again.

[IronLionZion]

3. Build the wall high enough to keep out mosquitoes

I'm sure RFK Jr. will make public health problems and pandemics great again real soon.

[republianmushroom]

4. Fear not, the republicans has the boy in charge who will handle it.

and not just a little.

[sakabatou]

5. "Make Dengue Fever Great Again!"

-some poor schmuck in the future

[jvill]

6. Texas turning into a third world country...

…

[City Lights]

7. RFK the Stupid: Dengue is just a hoax. nt