Since Returning To Key West In 2009, Dengue Has Health Officials On Edge; Warmer Climate Not Helping

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Dengue fever is most common in the poorer areas of Latin America and Asia, and cases were virtually unheard even in the tropical reaches of North America, where anti-mosquito efforts were able to keep the fever at bay. But as Greg Allen reported today for NPR, that's begun to change. The first native cases of dengue fever in Florida in more than 70 years began appearing in Key West in 2009, and they're becoming more common:

Dengue is considered a serious public health threat in Key West, Hawaii, south Texas and other Florida counties where it has been reported. But compared with its resurgence in Latin America, the outbreak in Key West is relatively minor. The growth in global trade and international travel helped bring dengue to the U.S. But Whiteside says there's another important factor — the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

"The carrier of dengue, the vector of dengue — the Aedes aegypti — is more widespread and abundant than ever before in history. That's obviously part of the reason we have dengue back," he says.

It's not clear why the mosquito has become more abundant. The bug lays its eggs in still pools of fetid water — exactly the sort you might see in a construction site or an unattended pool — so the growth of urbanization throughout Latin America and Asia may have helped the viral disease to spread.

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http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/10/dengue-fever-creeps-back-into-the-u-s-%E2%80%94-and-climate-change-isnt-helping/