Virginia health officials on Tuesday announced the state’s first documented case of locally acquired dengue, saying a resident who had not traveled outside Virginia was probably infected after being bitten by a mosquito that had previously bit an infected traveler.
The Virginia Department of Health said the patient lived in Northern Virginia and had been in close proximity to another Virginia resident who had recently returned from international travel with dengue. Officials said a local Aedes mosquito probably bit the infected traveler while that person was contagious and then transmitted the virus to the second patient.
“There is no evidence of continued transmission and no additional reports of locally acquired dengue cases at this time,” state health officials said. Most dengue cases occur in travelers infected abroad, and the risk for acquiring dengue in Virginia remains low. State and local officials are conducting mosquito surveillance and monitoring for additional infections.
Most dengue infections are mild or asymptomatic, but severe cases can lead to internal bleeding, organ failure and death. Although sporadic local transmission has been documented in a handful of states, it has remained rare.
Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease common in tropical and subtropical regions, has been increasing globally in recent years as record outbreaks have spread across the Americas. The surge in the disease has been driven by factors including international travel, urbanization and climate conditions that favor the mosquitoes that spread the virus.
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