LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The rising number of dengue fever cases in the U.S. has the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning local health care providers to be on the lookout.
I called the Southern Nevada Health District to find out if dengue fever has been found in southern Nevada. Watch my story below.
Right now, there are no cases, but a map I acquired from the CDC shows neighboring states with cases, and that's a concern for some health officials.
![CDC map of 2024 dengue fever cases](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5e956a6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/751x771+0+0/resize/751x771!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe6%2F9a%2F0c4c94394e75ab8abc7bd6fb7e99%2Fscreenshot-2024-07-26-at-4-56-47-pm.png)
"When I looked at the map and I saw all the states around Nevada have small cases of dengue fever, it's just probably a matter of time, doctor, before we get it here," I asked Dr. Preethi Kumar, chief clinical officer at Reliant Physicians.
"No, that's a great concern," Dr. Kumar said. "I saw the same map as you, Trisha, and I was also a little worried that it's too close for comfort. Yeah. However, you know, I think we are very well prepared. I think our increasing the awareness of dengue fever, increasing the awareness of symptoms, you know, taking precautions like using mosquito repellent, staying away from stagnant water. I think those are the kinds of things we can do and preparation, but it's not too much of an alarm only because, like I said, not all patients who have dengue fever will have symptoms."
Symptoms include fever with aches and pains, headaches, nausea, vomiting and a rash. Severe cases involve bleeding from the gums or mouth, doctors tell me.
Symptoms usually begin within two weeks of being bitten by a mosquito and they can last anywhere
from two to seven days.
Some people who get dengue fever will be asymptomatic.