Dengue is endemic in
many popular travel destinations for U.S. travelers, such as the Caribbean. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is monitoring ongoing dengue
outbreaks occurring in several
regions around the world. Because most dengue cases reported in the
continental United States occur in travelers, CDC is advising clinicians to
consider dengue in patients with a febrile illness who have traveled to
dengue-endemic areas in the 2 weeks before symptom onset.
Please see the attached “Clinical Considerations for Dengue
Virus Infection” from CDC regarding diagnosis and treatment of dengue virus.
Reported dengue cases in New Jersey for 2020-2021 were much
lower than prior to COVID-19 owing to a sharp decrease in international travel.
In the 3 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were an average of 39 travel-associated
cases of dengue reported per year in New Jersey, including 73 cases in 2019. The
number of travel-associated dengue cases is highly dependent on travel patterns
and dengue transmission levels in the destination countries.
International travel has increased this summer and several outbreaks
of dengue have been reported in many countries throughout the Americas and in Asia
and the Pacific Islands particularly. Nationally, 311 dengue cases have been
reported from US states, all travel-associated except for five locally acquired
cases reported in Florida (provisional data as of August 31st). As
of September 2nd, there have been 9 reported dengue cases in New
Jersey this year with several reports still under investigation. All 9 cases are travel-associated,
with cases reporting travel to Cuba (n=2), Ecuador (n=2), El Salvador (n=2),
India (n=2), and the Dominican Republic (n=1).
All dengue cases are reportable to the local
health department where the patient resides, but it is
particularly important to report if someone with dengue has not traveled to an
area where dengue is circulating. Healthcare providers are asked to remind
patients returning from destinations where dengue Is circulating to “Track when
You’re Back” and avoid mosquito bites for 3 weeks after returning to New
Jersey, to prevent potential introduction of the virus into local mosquito
populations.
Resources:
CDC dengue page for healthcare providers
CDC Dengue Statistics and Maps – 2022
NJDOH Mosquito-borne Disease: Track when You’re Back
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