Texas Reports Three Dengue Cases in 2024

The dengue outbreak in the Regions of the Americas continues to expand in 2024, now surpassing 10.2 million cases.

This outbreak has recently reached the state of Texas. Located in Austin, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) says mosquitoes that transmit dengue fever are found in Texas.

As of July 2, 2024, three dengue cases were reported in Dallas, Fort Bend (Houston), and McMullen counties. The DSHS did not disclose if these were travel-related or local cases.

In 2023, 67 dengue cases were reported in Texas.

To the south of Texas, Mexico continues to report record dengue cases this year.

As of the end of June 2024, the PAHO reported that Mexico had 99,660 dengue cases in 2024. In 2023, the PAHO disclosed that Mexico had reported over 277,000 dengue cases.

The AMA's Vice President of Science, Medicine, and Public Health, Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH, commented in an AMA podcast on July 3, 2024...."So most cases aren't serious, but there can be severe cases that lead to internal bleeding, organ failure, or even death."

"Infections usually begin after an incubation period of about five to seven days, starts with a fever, and then it's accompanied by other symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, rash, muscle aches, joint and bone pain, pain behind the eyes, headache, or low white blood cell counts."

"Unlike other diseases, where fever reduction is a sign that someone's getting better, the critical phase of dengue begins at this time and typically lasts 24 to 48 hours."

"Several warning signs indicate progression to severe disease. Those include abdominal pain or tenderness, persistent vomiting, bleeding from the nose or gums, and lethargy or restlessness."

"Severe disease develops in about one out of 20 people with symptomatic dengue. And infants, pregnant people, adults over 65 years of age, and people with certain medical conditions are at an increased risk."

As of July 8, 2024, approved dengue vaccines are generally unavailable in the United States.