Los Angeles Confirms Third Local Dengue Case

The global dengue fever outbreak recently reached one of the most populated cities in the United States.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced it is investigating its third locally acquired dengue case in the City of Baldwin Park.

This is an unprecedented number of locally transmitted cases for a region of over 12 million people where mosquitoes have not previously transmitted dengue.

"The City of Baldwin Park is aware of the recent cases of locally acquired dengue in our community. While the risk of transmission remains low, we must take this situation seriously and act proactively," said Mayor Emmanuel J. Estrada, who serves as a trustee representing Baldwin Park on the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District board, in a press release on September 18, 2024.

In 2024, the U.S. CDC confirmed that 50 jurisdictions, led by California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Puerto Rico, had reported 5,027 dengue cases as of September 20, 2024.

In the Region of the Americas, 43 countries and territories have reported over 11,712,499 dengue cases and 6,500 related deaths this year.

While dengue is a vaccine-preventable disease, no vaccine is currently available in the United States. However, Takeda's QDENGA® is an approved two-dose vaccine in about 40 countries.