The Eyes Cannot See What the Mind Does Not Know: Autochthonous Dengue in South Florida

Dengue is a mosquito-borne arbovirus that, when it infects humans, can cause a range of illnesses from asymptomatic infection to febrile illness and myalgias that, in rare cases, can be severe or fatal. Dengue has historically been considered a tropical disease in the United States, acquired only by international travelers. However, the incidence of locally transmitted (autochthonous) dengue in nontravelers is increasing in the United States, likely because of the expansion of the range of Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus, the virus's mosquito vector. Our case report describes a patient in Florida who was infected with dengue and had no international travel history. As the number of locally transmitted dengue cases is expected to rise, the diagnosis and management of dengue will be of increased importance to emergency medicine physicians in the United States.