Dengue virus returns to Florida after decades

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - During a County Commission meeting Tuesday, Orange County's Medical Director said now is absolutely not the time to cut his department's budget.

Dr. George Ralls says with increased travel between Central Florida and Haiti, where the malaria risk is higher than its usually high risk, the chance for mosquitos to spread it here is higher than usual. That's why he says a proposed 7 percent cut to his budget is not doable.

"The math is simple, " Ralls explains, "7 percent would mean about a 40 percent cut in chemicals used to spray mosquitos. That's half."

The malaria parasite is spread in the blood by mosquitos.

Dr. Ralls also points to a rare dengue outbreak in the southern part of the state right now.  Dengue is also a mosquito-born illness, though not as deadly Ralls says. Right now, the county is asking departments to look at cuts. The final budget doesn't come out until this summer.

Researchers monitoring Denge outbreak

University of Florida mosquito researchers have been watching with a wary eye as the dengue virus returns to the state after more than 50 years.

As of early February, 20 cases of locally transmitted dengue had been confirmed in Key West. Monroe County officials have issued a health alert and launched an education campaign urging residents to eliminate water sources in and around their homes where mosquitoes can breed.

"We haven't seen dengue in Florida in a long time, but this does give us evidence that we can have it again," said Roxanne Connelly , an associate professor of medical entomology with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences .

Dengue fever, also known as break-bone fever or bonecrusher disease, is a rarely fatal but widespread disease transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected mosquito. There are an estimated 100 million cases of dengue worldwide each year.

As its names suggest, dengue brings high fever, severe headaches and joint and muscle pain. It is often misdiagnosed as influenza.

The last big dengue epidemic in Florida was in 1934 and left more than 25,000 Floridians ill. Dengue is spread by two mosquito species, commonly known as the yellow fever mosquito and Asian tiger mosquito. Both lay eggs on the sides of water-filled containers.

The yellow fever mosquito is mostly confined to South Florida, while the Asian tiger mosquito is found throughout the state, though not in the Florida Keys.

Unlike many mosquitoes that are active in the morning and evening, the yellow fever and Asian tiger mosquitoes are unusual in that they will bite in broad daylight.

Travelers to Key West are encouraged to wear long pants and sleeves when possible and apply a repellent that includes the active ingredient DEET.

FOX 35's Tracy Jacim contributed to this report.