First diagnosed case of deadly tropical illness was a woman from
Rochester, N.Y., who caught the mosquito-carried disease in the Florida
Keys. She was diagnosed by "one sharp doctor" upstate.

Dengue fever, a much-feared tropical viral illness that in its most
severe form can liquefy vital organs, has been diagnosed in dozens of
people in Key West, Fla., and even in a woman from Rochester, N.Y. who
had visited Florida last year.

Since dengue fever can be transmitted both by mosquitoes and blood
transfusions, infectious disease experts say it could spread to other
parts of the U.S. if an infected traveler brings it home.

The concerns came to light after a federal Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention report released on Thursday stated that the illness was
first diagnosed in 2009 in a 34-year-old Rochester woman who had
returned from a weeklong vacation in Key West.

Her primary care physician, Dr. Adriane Trout, first treated her for a
routine viral infection, but the patient didn't improve. A week later,
when the patient said she still didn't feel well, Dr. Trout tested her
for Dengue. The results were positive. The woman has since recovered,
but after Dr. Trout notified health officials in Monroe County, Fla.,
they began testing other patients for Dengue and have since found 28
cases in patients ranging from ages 15 to 73. Most reported unusual
bleeding including blood in their urine.

The CDC is urging all doctors with patients who have mysterious fevers
and have been in a subtropical area to test them for Dengue.

Since many New Yorkers travel back and forth to the Florida Keys,
Columbia University public health expert Dr. Ian Lipkin said there is
reason for concern. "It's a reasonable thing to wonder whether there
have been other undiagnosed cases," Dr. Lipkin said, adding that two
types of mosquitoes known to spread the illness are common in New York
and New Jersey.

One mystery about Dengue is why it causes mild illness in some people
and causes others to develop hemorrhagic fever and the breakdown of
organs, include the kidneys. There is not currently an anti-viral drug
to cure the illness, nor is there a vaccine, according to Dr. Lipkin.
"These medications are close to being available," he said, "but we're
not there yet."

Dr. Lipkin, who is director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at
Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, noted that the outbreak
might never had been detected had it not been for Dr. Trout's decision:
"There was nothing in that patient's symptoms that specifically pointed
to Dengue. I'd say that is one sharp doctor."

The disease is common in tropical areas but has not been seen in the
U.S. since 1945. But, probably because of climate change and shifts in
weather patterns, there have been other cases of illnesses turning up in
new places, he said. "I was in Italy last summer and there were new
viruses from India for similar reasons."

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites