Loading...
Dengue fever is the most common vector-borne viral infection in the world, but other than a few cases on the Texas–Mexico border, no outbreaks have occurred in the continental U.S. since the end of World War II — until now. In the past year, more than two dozen cases were traced to Key West, Florida.
The index case — in August 2009 — was a 34-year-old woman from Rochester, New York, with consistent clinical illness; serum IgM antibodies and cerebrospinal fluid polymerase chain reaction were diagnostic for dengue. Her only recent travel was to Key West, the week before she became ill. Subsequent investigation identified 27 cases of infection in Key West residents during 2009 and an additional case in 2010; testing of local mosquito pools conf…