This story is being republished under a special NJ News Commons content-sharing agreement. Link to story: app.com/story/news/health/2024/07/10/new-mosquito-virus-2024-dengue-new-jersey/74354651007

Dengue cases continue to break records globally with more cases reported this year than ever. In the U.S., stemming from travelers, the CDC has reported 794 cases in 2024.

The CDC issued an alert to health care providers and officials about the ongoing spread of dengue cases. In New Jersey, the CDC has reported 41 cases contracted abroad, 20 of them concentrated in Bergen, Essex and Middlesex counties.

This year, most infections reported in the continental U.S. were identified in the the first two months of the year, with the numbers dwindling from April.

New York, Florida, Massachusetts and New Jersey have reported the highest number of cases in the U.S.

In the Americas, more than 9.7 million cases have been reported — twice as many cases for 2023, the CDC said.

What is dengue? What are symptoms?

Dengue is a virus transmitted by the Aedes species mosquito, the same type of mosquito that spreads the Zika and chikungunya viruses.

Dengue symptoms include sudden high fever, headaches, a rash, pain behind the eyes, nausea, and joint and muscle pain. Symptoms generally last for two to seven days and are not usually severe. Dengue rarely leads to death, according to the World Health Organization.

The mosquito species that carries dengue is more common in tropical areas, but they can also be found in New Jersey, according to the Rutgers Center for Vector Biology.

Is dengue contagious?

Dengue cannot be spread from person to person, but mosquitoes can get infected after biting someone with dengue and then infecting others they bite.