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While the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) says locally acquired dengue is rare in LA County, this year's infections will differ from 2023.
Last year, only two cases of locally acquired dengue were identified in Long Beach and Pasadena.
As of October 24, 2024, LACDPH has confirmed 9 cases of locally acquired dengue. Before their symptoms, these San Gabriel Valley residents had no history of travel to places where dengue is common.
These people live in Baldwin Park (6), Panorama City (1), and El Monte (2).
Since residents of LA County travel year-round, cases can occur at any time of year.
Most dengue cases in LA County involve traveling to countries where dengue outbreaks occur, such as the Caribbean (Puerto Rico), Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific islands.
This year, 123 travel-related dengue cases have been confirmed in LA County, compared with 75 cases reported in LA County in 2023.
To alert international travelers of this health risk, the U.S. CDC reissued a Global Travel Health Notice on October 15, 2024, regarding Dengue outbreaks in 27 countries.
Dengue is a vaccine-preventable disease. However, protective vaccines will be unavailable in the U.S. in 2024.
If you plan to travel, you may need to be vaccinated against some diseases in other parts of the world. Some vaccines must be given well in advance to allow your body to develop immunity.
For some vaccines to become protective, several doses spread over several weeks or months.
According to the U.K. travel office on October 22, 2024, prospective international travelers should visit a G.P. or a private travel clinic at least 6 to 8 weeks before traveling bread in 2024.
In the U.K., the NHS routine immunization schedule lists vaccines that protect people against multiple diseases but does not cover all infectious diseases found overseas.
Furthermore, some countries require proof of vaccination (meningitis, polio, or yellow fever), which must be documented on an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) before entering or leaving a country.
Even if an ICVP is not required, the U.K. recommends keeping a record of the vaccinations you have had with you, such as chikungunya, dengue, and measles.
In the United States, the CDC's travel advice website offers similar advice.
With the global expansion of the chikungunya, dengue, and zika viruses in 2024, many publishers are challenged to present outbreak data in a balanced voice and tone in the media.
The lessons learned from the recent pandemic indicate that people want to read the data as soon as possible, whether published as a pre-print or peer-reviewed. With new information, people can privately confer with their healthcare providers about personal health actions such as vaccination.
A recent Editorial published by The Lancet Infectious Diseases on October 15, 2024, encapsulated these concerns regarding the sudden Oropouche virus outbreak in the Region of the Americas, such as in Brazil and Cuba.
These researchers wrote, "While such early data are key to understanding and tackling outbreaks, they come with considerable uncertainty and raise questions about how to report and publish them responsibly."
"However, we believe knowledge will inform public health responses, focus resources, and garner urgency in studying the virus further, which is the first step to prevention and treatment."
The full, unedited Editorial is posted at this link.
When planning a European trip next year, many say the best time to visit Mediterranean Sea beaches is in the spring, when the weather is mild and before the summer crowds arrive.
Another consideration is when mosquitos transmit viruses such as dengue to vacationers.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the recent three-month dengue outbreak rate measurably increased from July to September 2024.
As of October 2024, the ECDC reported locally acquired dengue cases in France, Italy, and Spain in 2024.
The Italian National Public Health Authority reported 194 locally acquired dengue cases in 2024. In 2023, 82 locally acquired dengue cases were reported.
In 2024, France reported 80 locally transmitted dengue fever cases and over 3,500 imported cases. In 2023, it reported nine dengue outbreaks that produced 45 autochthonous infections.
Spain reported eight locally acquired dengue cases in the Camp de Tarragona area of the Catalonia region in 2024. Last year, the Catalonia region reported just three local cases.
While unavailable in the United States, a second-generation dengue vaccine has been authorized in Europe since late 2022. Takeda's QDENGA vaccine remains approved in 2024 for use regardless of previous dengue exposure and without pre-vaccination testing.
The ECDC, U.S. CDC, and the WHO encourage travelers to speak with a travel vaccine expert about options to protect themselves from disease one month before departure.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reissued a Global Travel Health Notice on October 15, 2024, regarding Dengue outbreaks reported in 27 countries in the Americas, Africa/Middle East, and Asia/Pacific Islands.
In the Region of the Americas, over 12,076,930 Dengue cases and 7,171 related deaths have been reported this year.
In the United States, the CDC reported that 50 jurisdictions had reported 6,164 Dengue cases as of October 17, 2024, already exceeding reports from 2023.
For example, the Florida Health Department recently reported over 595 travel-associated and 47 locally acquired Dengue cases throughout the state.
The Texas Department of State Health Services says mosquitoes that transmit Dengue fever are found in Texas, with (78) imported cases reported in 23 counties.
In California, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported eight locally acquired Dengue cases in the San Gabriel Valley this year.
While Dengue is a vaccine-preventable disease, no vaccine is currently available in the U.S.
When Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced third-quarter earnings this week, its growth exceeded Wall Street’s expectations.
However, based on J&J's announcement on October 4, 2024, its future results will not include a Dengue product.
J&J confirmed the discontinuance of the Phase 2 field study to evaluate the efficacy of the investigational antiviral candidate mosnodenvir in preventing Dengue virus in adults. The decision to discontinue this study is part of a strategic reprioritization of the Company’s Communicable Diseases research and development portfolio.
This unfortunate news will bring essential focus to second-generation dengue vaccines and innovative vaccine candidates conducting late-stage clinical research in 2024, such as Butantan Institute's Butantan-DV tetravalent dengue vaccine.
As of October 18, 2024, Dengue's global outbreak continues unabated.
