Four more dengue fever cases reported on Florida’s Treasure Coast

The Martin and St. Lucie counties’ health departments issued a health alert Friday, Aug. 30, confirming four additional cases of dengue fever, bringing to total number of cases reported to 11 since the first notification on Aug. 14.

Aedes aegypti Image/CDC

The 11 cases are all considered “locally-acquired” in the Rio and Jensen Beach area. Of the cases, seven are Martin County residents and four are St. Lucie residents, according to health officials.

LISTEN: Dengue fever in Florida: A few words with Martin County Environmental Health Director, Bob Washam

In addition to the 11 cases confirmed in Martin and St. Lucie Counties, an additional “locally-acquired” case was reported from Miami-Dade County last week.

According to the Martin and St. Lucie County Departments of Health, dengue Fever (pronounced den’ gee) is a disease transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito, not person to person.

In the Western Hemisphere, the Aedes aegypti (pronounced edis egyp-tie) mosquito is the main transmitter of dengue viruses. In some cases, the Aedes albopictus mosquito has also transmitted the disease. Both of these mosquitoes are found in large numbers in Martin and St. Lucie Counties. It is estimated that there are over 100 million cases of dengue worldwide each year.

For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page

Looking for a job in health care? Check here to see what’s available