Destination news: tourist contracts dengue fever in Key West

A tourist from Miami-Dade County contracted the mosquito-borne disease dengue fever while visiting Key West earlier this month, health officials in Florida said Monday.

A tourist from Miami-Dade County contracted the mosquito-borne disease dengue fever while visiting Key West earlier this month, health officials in Florida said Monday.

The unidentified tourist is among 24 people infected with the tropical virus this year by mosquitoes in Key West, including a Wilton Manors tourist who visited over the July 4 weekend, officials said. All 24 recovered fully within a week or two.

The Key West outbreak, which began last year, is the first since 1946 in the continental U.S. to return in a second summer season. The virus spreads only through the bite of an infected mosquito, not through human contact. Officials said infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have been found only in Key West, but they fear the virus might spread to bugs in other areas.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...