As the summer months continue to bring rising temperatures that attract insect populations, a county in Illinois is dealing with a spike in reported cases of dengue, and the figures are concerning.
What's happening?
As explained by NBC Chicago, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention issued a warning on June 25 after the discovery of "record-breaking levels of cases across much of the Americas" with 745 American travelers affected. By July 9, the CDC noted that 27 cases were reported in Illinois, with 17 coming from Cook County.
The CDC also revealed that more than 9.7 million dengue cases were reported in countries in the Americas over roughly the first six months of 2024, more than double the 4.6 million cases reported in the entirety of 2023.
Why is this important?
Dengue is a mosquito-borne illness that has been causing significant health concerns, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. Warmer weather — as well as humidity and rainfall — create ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed, which can lead to outbreaks of not just dengue but other illnesses like Zika, malaria, and chikungunya.
These viruses are spread through bites from infected insects. In the case of dengue, health officials said about one in four cases become symptomatic, per NBC Chicago. Symptoms can "include nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, rash, joint and bone pain, pain behind the eyes, headache, and/or low white blood cell counts."
The CDC states there is a dengue vaccine for previously infected children of certain ages living in affected areas but no vaccines have been approved to prevent or treat dengue for travelers, adults, and anyone who has not previously been infected.
"Treatment is supportive and requires careful volume management," the CDC stated. "Appropriate triage, management, and follow-up remain the most effective interventions to reduce dengue morbidity and mortality."
What's being done about this?
There are some innovative approaches being taken to combat dengue.
For instance, Brazil has been experimenting with genetically modified mosquitoes that are designed to reduce the population of mosquitoes that spread the virus. These special mosquitoes carry a gene that kills female offspring before they reach maturity, which has shown promising results in reducing the mosquito population by up to 90% in one treated area.
Additionally, researchers have developed a revolutionary spray that tackles the spread of mosquito-borne diseases without using toxic insecticides, offering a safer way to protect against these illnesses.
So, while the situation is serious, there are efforts underway to help control and eventually reduce the spread of dengue.
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