Dengue Fever update

The TDC meeting last week in Key Largo included an update on dengue fever in Key West from the Monroe County Health Department. Included were some interesting points which I'll share in no particular order.

The incubation period for DF is about a week. You are only contagious (ie able to pass the virus on to another mosquito) from the moment of the original bite until your fever is gone. Which means (happily) that the hundreds of folks who test positive for having had contact with the virus are no longer contagious.

There have been two outbreaks of DF in the United States in recent times; 1980 in the Rio Grande valley, and 2001 in Hawaii. Both outbreaks were eventually stopped by eradication of the mosquito populations.

There is no treatment for DF. Hydration, acetominophen (Tylenol) and rest are recommended.
There are four types of DF. We have type 1 in Key West. You can only get each type once.
Many people have asymptomatic cases of DF, or relatively mild symptoms which might be confused with the flu.

Their recommedation for avoiding the disease to to spray yourself with a repellant that contains DEET.