Dengue Fever Showing Up In Central Florida

From WESH.com: 

RANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Dengue fever has infected a handful of people in Central Florida, health officials said.

“This is not a regular flu virus that you get, you feel a lot worse,” said Dr. Todd Husty.

“You get a real great fever, a horrible fever; it's called ‘break bone fever.’ You feel like your bones are breaking, but it's really joint pain,” Husty said.

Health officials said more than a dozen people have picked up the virus from Mosquitoes in the Keys.

More than 30 more across the state of Florida have the fever after picking it up out of the country.

Signs And Symptoms Of Dengue Fever

Mosquitoes in Central Florida do not carry Dengue, but they could if people are not careful, local doctors said.

Mosquito control experts are treating areas near where three Orange County people have Dengue. While the patients caught the fever somewhere else, if they get bitten by mosquitoes the virus could get into the local mosquito population.

“There's a possibility that you've produced enough virus for our local mosquitoes to pick it up,” said Dr. Tom Breaud with Orange County Mosquito Control.

Doctors say anyone with Dengue should stay inside, away from mosquitoes.

While most mosquitoes bite at dawn and dusk, insects carrying Dengue have a different pattern.

“The mosquitoes that transmit Dengue to us bite during the day,” said Breaud.