Health authorities in the state of Florida, USA, reported four additional locally transmitted dengue infections during the first week of December.
New cases were reported in Miami-Dade (2), Hillsborough, and Pasco counties, bringing the total number of cases to 74 this year.
The distribution of cases is as follows: Broward (2), Hillsborough (5), Manatee, Miami-Dade (46), Monroe (3), Orange (2), Palm Beach (3), Pasco (10), Polk, and Sarasota counties.
Sixty cases have been serotyped using PCR, with 50 identified as DENV-3.
In addition, 35 more travel-related dengue cases have been reported, raising the total to 859 cases this year.
Until 2009, there had been no recorded cases of dengue acquired in Florida since 1934. However, in 2009-2010, an outbreak of dengue was identified in Key West. A total of 22 people were confirmed to have dengue fever in Key West during the summer and fall of 2009. In 2010, 66 locally acquired dengue cases linked to Key West were reported in Florida, with onset dates between March and November 2010. Since then, locally transmitted dengue cases have been reported regularly in Florida.
