A Long Beach resident recently contracted dengue fever despite not traveling outside of the United States, city officials have announced — making this the second such case in California.
Pasadena health officials confirmed a case of mosquito-borne dengue fever last month in a resident who had also not traveled outside the U.S.
The Long Beach resident has recovered and there are no other suspected cases, city health officials said in a Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 1, press release. Local exposure risk remains low.
“The health and well-being of the community is our most important priority,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “We are working closely with health officials to do everything we can to prevent more cases. We ask that everyone do their part by removing any standing water on their property to help us control the mosquitoes in our neighborhoods.”
Dengue is one of multiple mosquito-borne illness, like yellow fever or the more locally common West Nile virus. Dengue is spread when an Aedes species mosquitoes infected with the virus bites a human.
No mosquitoes collected by the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services have tested positive for dengue, the city said.
Dengue fever is uncommon in the U.S.. So people typically contract it when they travel abroad. Dengue fever is frequent in many parts of Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Islands, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — with about 4 billion people living where there’s a risk of the disease.
That’s about half the world’s population.
Up to 400 million people get infected with dengue annually, the CDC said, with about 100 million getting sick and 40,000 dying from severe cases.
But in the U.S., according to CDC data, there had only been 1,437 confirmed cases this year, as of Oct. 25. Only 583 cases were locally acquired — and all but 63 of those were in Puerto Rico. That data, though, did not appear to have been updated yet to include the Pasadena and Long Beach cases.
About one in four people who contract dengue fever will develop symptoms, the Long Beach health department said. Those symptoms, which typically last no longer than a week, include:
- High fever.
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Rash.
- Aches and pains to the eyes, joints or bones.
While there are no specific medicines for dengue, Long Beach said, most people recover within two weeks.
“While some people may experience severe illness,” Long Beach said in its press release, “fatalities from dengue are extremely rare.”
Long Beach officials, like those in Pasadena and Los Angeles County, are working to prevent further spread of the virus that carries dengue.
Mosquitoes breed in standing water, and the record rainfalls the region received this year sparked fear as far back as the spring that the vector’s population could thrive this year; mosquito-breeding season is May to October. Indeed, when Pasadena reported the first dengue case, the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District, which includes that city, estimated that mosquito populations locally were four times their average, increasing the risk for disease.
“The best way to protect oneself from dengue and other diseases spread by mosquitoes is to avoid mosquito bites,” Long Beach’s press release said. “Aedes mosquitos are active during the day and in well-lit areas at night and only need a small amount of water to breed.”
To prevent mosquito bites, the city said, residents should:
- Use mosquito repellen.
- Wear loose-fitting long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
- Eliminate standing water around, even tiny amounts — since mosquitos can breed in water as small as a bottle cap.
- Trim weeds, vines, hedges and grass, where adult mosquitos like to rest.
- Change water in pet dishes, birdbaths and other small containers weekly.
- Ensure swimming pools, spas and ponds are properly maintained. Report neglected swimming pools to the health department’s Vector Control Program.
“We are taking many steps to prevent mosquito-borne infections in Long Beach,” City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis said in the Wednesday press release. “Outreach teams are visiting the neighborhood where dengue was identified to provide information on mosquito bite prevention and ways to control mosquito breeding around the home.
“Health department staff continue to trap and test mosquitoes in nearby areas to look for infected mosquitoes,” she added, “and are intensifying efforts to reduce breeding and control mosquito populations.”