Maricopa County reports 1 dengue case
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health announced on Monday that they have identified a person who recently tested positive for the mosquito-borne viral disease known as dengue.
According to the MCDPH, the person who tested positive might have been exposed by an infected mosquito in Maricopa County.
“Routine mosquito surveillance performed by Maricopa County Environmental Services Department (MCESD) has detected the dengue virus in a mosquito trap in one neighborhood in the county,” the MCDPH said in a news release.
According to Mayo Clinic, dengue is common in tropical and subtropical areas of the world with millions of cases reported each year. It is rare in the United States, however, with an average of less than 20,000 cases per year.
The World Health Organization notes that while some cases are asymptomatic, symptoms from dengue fever can range from severe flu-like symptoms to severe bleeding, organ impairment, plasma leakage and death. The MCDPH has not revealed who was infected or the severity of their infection, however.
As a result of the positive test, the department announced that Public Health teams will be visiting neighborhood residents to offer free, athome blood testing if they are interested. Those teams will also include representatives offering information for preventing bites and mosquito breeding around their homes, the MCDPH said.
MCDPH did not specify which neighborhood the department would be testing in.
“While previous dengue cases in Maricopa County have been related to travel to countries where dengue commonly occurs, it is important to understand if others could have been exposed or if this is an isolated incident.” said Dr. Nick Staab, MCDPH medical epidemiologist. “This is in addition to our routine investigations of anyone suspected to have dengue or other mosquito-borne diseases.”
The MCDPH said that Maricopa County will field teams of staff and volunteers to conduct the free testing for residents five years and older and provide mosquito prevention kits as well. The tests will identify if any person has been infected in the last several months even if the person is asymptomatic, the MCDPH said.
“This simple test can provide information that is valuable to our residents and, on a neighborhood level, to Public Health,” Staab said. “When we look at results of this testing and mosquito testing across the county, we can determine if there is any risk to others and what Public Health, Environmental Services, and other partor ners can do to prevent illness.”
The department said that they will send postcards to homes in the specific neighborhood to their door, to notify them about their upcoming visit before field teams go door-to-door over the next week to offer the testing, prevention kits and information on how the test results will be shared with those tested their legal guardians.
MCDPH has encouraged anyone interested in learning more about mosquito-borne illness in Maricopa County and tips for fighting mosquitoes at FightTheBite Maricopa.org.