The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory yesterday regarding an increased risk of dengue virus (DENV) infections in the United States in 2024.
Global incidence of dengue in 2024 has been the highest on record for this calendar year. In the U.S., Puerto Rico has declared a public health emergency and a higher-than-expected number of dengue cases have been identified among U.S. travelers from January 1 – June 24, 2024.
In California, two locally acquired DENV cases were identified in 2023. The cases, residents of Pasadena and Long Beach, had no travel history before infection. With mosquitoes capable of transmitting DENV present throughout LA County and several travel-associated cases already reported in 2024, the risk of sporadic local transmission is a concern.
In the setting of increased global and domestic incidence of dengue, healthcare providers should take steps including:
- Have increased suspicion of dengue among people with fever who have been in areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission within 14 days before illness onset,
- Order appropriate diagnostic tests for acute DENV infection: reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR] and IgM antibody tests, or non-structural protein 1 [NS1] antigen tests and IgM antibody tests; these tests should be ordered regardless of time since symptom onset,
- Ensure timely reporting of dengue cases to public health authorities (see reporting below) and,
- Promote mosquito bite prevention measures among people living in or visiting areas with frequent or continuous dengue transmission.
- In addition, DPH recommends providers consider locally acquired DENV in patients with compatible illness, regardless of travel history, if other more common etiologies have been ruled out. Testing for West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne virus endemic in LA County, should be obtained at the same time.
Please see the CDC Advisory for additional recommendations, including clinical guidance.
