Los Angeles County investigating new locally acquired dengue fever cases

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Los Angeles health officials announced they are investigating a handful of locally acquired dengue fever cases in the city of Baldwin Park.

The two cases were announced by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Wednesday, a little more than a week after it confirmed the county's first confirmed case for this year.

It said the two additional cases had no history of travel to areas where the disease is endemic prior to developing symptoms.

The county health officials said the three locally transmitted cases are "an unprecedented number" for the region where dengue has not previously been transmitted by mosquitoes.

Mayor Emmanuel Estrada of Baldwin Park, which is in the central San Gabriel Valley, said city officials are aware of the cases and are tacking action.

"As part of the vector control district, our city is working closely with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to monitor the situation and implement necessary control measures," Estrada said in a statement .

"In the meantime, we urge all residents to use EPA-registered insect repellent, eliminate standing water around your homes and ensure your window and door screens are in good condition."

The county had confirmed its first case , also in Baldwin Park, on Sept. 9. Last year, two cases of locally acquired dengue were confirmed in California, both in the fall, with cases in Long Beach and Pasadena.

Dengue is a virus that is spread to people via mosquitoes and is common in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. According to health officials, it can cause flulike symptoms with severe cases potentially causing shock, severe bleeding and severe organ impairment requiring immediate medical attention.

Federal health officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevent issued a health advisory in late June notifying healthcare providers and public health authorities of an increased risk of dengue virus this year.

Global incidence of the disease is soaring. There have been higher-than-normal case numbers reported this year worldwide, while countries in the Americas reported a record-breaking number of dengue cases during the first half of the year at 9.3 million cases , more than double the number throughout 2023.

According to the CDC, there have been 3,277 locally acquired dengue cases this year in the United States, but the vast majority were detected in Puerto Rico, where public health authorities declared an outbreak in March.

Aside from California, only Florida has detected cases on the mainland. The CDC said the Sunshine State has had 27 dengue patients this year.

CDC statistics show that there were 1,462 locally acquired cases for all of last year: two in California; one in Texas; 189 in Florida; and the majority of those remaining in Puerto Rico.