Texas Doubles Dengue Detections in One Month

While much of the United States has been spared from the dengue fever virus outbreak that is currently affecting the Region of the Americas, there has been a concerning increase in the number of cases in Texas.

According to the Texas Department of Health Services (DHSH), the number of imported dengue cases rose from ten on July 9, 2024, to twenty-seven in fifteen counties, led by Collin (5) and Travis (4) on August 13, 2024. There have not been any locally-transmitted dengue cases in Texas this year.

Today, the Harris County Health Department expressed concerns that the DHSH's data may be underreporting dengue cases this year. They informed Precision Vaccination News that clinics in the greater Houston, Texas, area rarely test patients for any of the four dengue virus types.

Harris County staff said that under-diagnosis is highly probable since dengue's symptoms are similar to those of influenza. It can take up to two weeks to develop, and the illness generally lasts less than a week.

Furthermore, based on disease reporting by Texas's southern neighbor, the increasing case trend in Mexico may continue throughout 2024 as the disease-carrying mosquitoes progress northward due to climate changes.

The Pan American Helath Organization's latest report indicates Mexico has confirmed over 164,000 dengue cases this year. In 2023, Mexico reported about 277,000 dengue cases.

Overall, 43 countries and territories in the Region reported more than 11.285,516 dengue cases and about 6,265 related deaths in 2024.

To alert travelers visiting thirteen countries in the Americas, including Mexico, the U.S. CDC reissued a Level 1 Travel Health Advisory in 2024. The advisory states that visiting these countries may increase one's risk of dengue.

From a prevention perspective, two dengue vaccines have been used globally, but neither vaccine is generally available in the U.S.

To meet increasing consumer demand, the second-generation QDENGA® vaccine from Takeda GmbH is now available in 22 countries without requiring pre-admission virus testing.

Additional outbreak news is posted at DengueNews.com.