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Dozens of New Jersey residents have been sickened with dengue fever as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned of a record-breaking number of cases in the Americas this summer.

At least 41 Garden Staters have come down with the potentially deadly mosquito-borne virus, according to the health agency.

All of those infected had recently traveled, but the CDC did not specify where. There has been no known person-to-person transmission locally in the state.


  At least 41 New Jersey residents have contracted dengue fever amid a record-breaking surge in the Americas this summer. raisondtre – stock.adobe.com At least 41 New Jersey residents have contracted dengue fever amid a record-breaking surge in the Americas this summer. raisondtre – stock.adobe.com

Cases of local transmission have been “limited” to “small outbreaks” in geographic regions like Texas, Florida and Hawaii, the CDC said.

Six US territories are considered by the agency to experience “frequent or continuous” dengue transmission, including Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau.

Dengue is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, the same species known for spreading Zika, yellow fever and several other viruses.


  The virus can cause nausea, vomiting and other unpleasant symptoms, but is only fatal in about 5% of cases. Alamy Stock Photo The virus can cause nausea, vomiting and other unpleasant symptoms, but is only fatal in about 5% of cases. Alamy Stock Photo

Around 400 million people are infected with dengue each year globally, of whom some 40,000 die of severe forms of the virus, according to the CDC.

Dengue cases have spiked globally following the COVID-19 pandemic, including record numbers of cases recorded in the Americas.

Last year, 4.6 million cases and 4,000 deaths were reported in the region. As of June 24 this year, that figure had already more than doubled with 9.7 million cases.

Dengue typically causes symptoms like fever, nausea, vomiting, rash, and joint or bone pain and is usually not fatal in otherwise healthy patients. However, the health agency warns, about 1 in 20 people infected experience a more dangerous form of the infection.

Infants less than 1 year old, senior citizens or people with certain medical conditions are considered at higher risk of contracting severe disease.

The New Jersey residents infected hail from 15 counties across the state, with Bergen County in the northeast seeing the most cases, with eight travelers infected so far.


  Bergen County led cases in the Garden State with eight. New Jersey Department of Health Bergen County led cases in the Garden State with eight. New Jersey Department of Health

There are no known medications for treating the virus, and the CDC says the best way to prevent infection is to avoid mosquito bites whenever possible and take steps to control their population growth, such as by emptying outdoor containers of standing water where the insect’s eggs thrive.

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