Dengue fever cases are rising in Southwest Florida.
According to the Florida Department of Health, so far this year, 417 Floridians have gotten Dengue fever after they traveled internationally.
There have been 14 dengue fever traveler cases in Lee County, five in Collier County, and two in Charlotte County since the beginning of 2024.
The Florida Department of Health recorded 39 dengue fever traveler cases last week.
The Lee County Mosquito Control District said mosquito-borne illnesses are extremely rare in the United States. Residents should only be concerned if they are traveling outside the country.
Jenifer McBride, of the Lee County Mosquito Control District, said, "It's endemic in some of those countries that don't have mosquito control. We don't have local cases. Because what happens is when we get that traveler's case, we're treating it right away so it doesn't become localized."
"Mosquito control has an amazing relationship with the Department of Health. And that means that we're alerted if there's a traveler's case and we have a disease plan in place. So instantly we go into mode, whether it's a confirmed case or not, where we're planning and treating as if there were a disease, even though there might not be," McBride said.
McBride said the only thing Southwest Florida residents need to worry about is itchy mosquito bites. She advised residents to use Environmental Protection Agency-approved repellent.
"The other big thing is to make sure you're dumping out the standing water around your yard. So a lot of those mosquitoes that carry the viruses, like dengue, they actually breed right in our backyard. So you want to make sure you've dump out that standing water, even just a tiny little cap can breed hundreds of mosquitoes," McBride said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Global incidence of dengue in 2024 has been the highest on record for this calendar year; many countries are reporting higher-than-usual dengue case numbers . In 2024, countries in the Americas have reported a record-breaking number of dengue cases, exceeding the highest number ever recorded in a single year."