L.A. Dengue Update: ‘Unprecedented Cluster’

Los Angeles health officials issued an alert Wednesday after confirming a notable increase in dengue fever cases.
Three individuals in the Baldwin Park neighborhood were infected this month without having traveled outside the U.S.
Other localized cases have been traced back to Pasadena and Long Beach.
“This is an unprecedented cluster of locally acquired dengue for a region where dengue has not previously been transmitted by mosquitoes,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The cases come just a year after California reported its first instance of internally transmitted dengue.
While dengue is typically spread through infected Aedes mosquitoes in tropical climates, officials said the species has become common in the city, creating an environment conducive to local outbreaks.
Dengue, often referred to as “breakbone fever” due to the severe joint and muscle pain it can cause, is spreading in various parts of the U.S. this year.
Nausea, blotchy rashes, and an intense frontal headache are also prevalent.
Climate change is believed by many to be a major factor behind the global surge in dengue cases.
Warmer temperatures allow mosquitoes to expand their geographic range, spreading the virus to previously unaffected areas.
Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have all recorded spikes in circulation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 3,085 cases of dengue in the U.S. in 2023, with 96% of those cases occurring in Puerto Rico, where a dengue epidemic has been declared.
Ferrer emphasized that Los Angeles, with its increasingly warm climate, is not immune to these changes.
Dengue can cause a range of symptoms, including high fever, severe headaches, rashes, and pain in muscles, bones, and joints.
While many people recover within a week, about one in 20 people with symptoms will develop severe dengue, which can lead to life-threatening complications like severe bleeding.
In Los Angeles County, public health officials have reported 82 dengue cases this year, but until recently, all were associated with travel to countries where the viral infection is endemic.
Across California, a total of 148 cases have been documented this year.
Public health officials are now focusing on preventing the spread by reaching out to residents within a 150-meter (492 feet) radius of the infected individuals’ homes, the typical flight range for dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
Ferrer urged the public to take simple measures to protect themselves, such as using insect repellent and eliminating standing water, where mosquitoes breed.
The county has ramped up its testing of mosquitoes for dengue and is continuing to monitor the situation closely.
While no mosquitoes in the San Gabriel Valley have yet tested positive for the virus, officials are concerned that the situation could escalate if preventive actions are not taken.
It is now estimated that 390 million dengue infections occur each year—over 96 million of these result in clinical manifestations.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press