A person in Seminole County is the latest in Central Florida to have contracted dengue fever, according to health officials who are urging Central Florida residents to take precautions against mosquito-borne illnesses.
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The Florida Department of Health in Seminole County issued the advisory Wednesday. It comes following five cases of dengue fever reported in Orange County since the beginning of September.
Orange announced on Tuesday that it resumed aerial spraying to reduce mosquito populations in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. The Department of Health and Seminole County Mosquito Control are coordinating surveillance, prevention and control efforts, according to their advisory.
Dengue fever, found in tropical and subtropical climates, including southern parts of the United States, is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. Each year about 400 million people worldwide contract dengue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For decades, most continental U.S. infections had been found among people who caught the virus while traveling internationally. But experts say the Aedes aegypti mosquito has been expanding its geographic reach because of climate change.
Dengue is not fatal. Symptoms, which usually occur within two weeks of being bitten, include aches and pains, nausea, vomiting and rashes, according to the CDC.
Florida is suffering a statewide outbreak of the disease, with the Tampa Bay area alone seeing 351 confirmed cases this year, according to the state, mostly in Hillsborough County.
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Overall, it’s the most cases in a calendar year for any state since at least the 1940s.
Residents are advised to avoid being bitten by using insect repellent when going outdoors and removing standing water from their properties, since that is where mosquitoes breed.
Orange on Tuesday conducted aerial spraying over Apopka and Pine Hills, two areas where dengue cases were reported. The county will conduct another round of spraying over the same areas at 7pm on Saturday.
The spraying is expected to reduce the targeted mosquito population by 99%, officials said.
Residents are also being asked to report any dead birds they find to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s site, as they can be an indicator of mosquito-borne illnesses.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.