Investigators testing thousands of Floridians for Zika detected another mosquito-borne virus undergoing local transmission in Miami — Dengue.
According to NBC News, the Florida Department of Health confirmed a case of locally acquired Dengue, making it the second such case in the state this year and first in Miami. Connecticut state health officials also confirmed that a state resident contracted the mosquito-borne illness while traveling to Florida.
Dengue is a close relative of the Zika virus. While the viruses cause similar symptoms (headache, joint pain, rash and fever), Dengue can incite deadly hemorrhagic fever, while Zika's primary threat is to the health of unborn fetuses. However, lab tests can often mix up the two viruses along with another related virus known as chikungunya. Therefore, the CDC has developed two tests for the Zika virus, one that can detect Zika alone and another that can detect and differentiate Zika, chikungunya and dengue, according to NBC News.
The discovery of dengue transmission in Florida is not a surprise to some experts.
Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, dean of tropical medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told NBC News, "There's likely dengue and Zika in multiple areas of Florida and the Gulf Coast, but we're not looking."
The health department's transparency regarding the impact of Zika on the state was recently called into question by Miami officials. Recently, the mayor of Miami-Dade County and the mayor of Miami Beach accused the state health department of instructing Miami officials to keep the locations of Zika-positive mosquito traps in Miami Beach confidential.
As of Wednesday, the Florida Department of Health has confirmed 921 cases of Zika in the state, 92 of which have involved pregnant women. Of the more than 900 cases, 115 have been acquired locally. A report from Daniel Chang of the Miami Herald previously suggested these numbers could be inaccurate, partially due to a backlog of testing.
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