The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned doctors in the U.S. to prepare for a potential outbreak of dengue, a virus spread by mosquitoes that has surged worldwide since the start of the year, putting up record numbers throughout North and South America—and in the U.S.Dengue, also known as break-bone fever, is a viral infection spread to people through the so-called Aedes mosquito, the same mosquitoes that can spread Zika or chikungunya viruses.
Most infections in the U.S. came from travelers who went abroad to places with high risk of dengue transmission, sparking a “traveler’s nightmare,” according to University of the Philippines Manila Dr. Lulu Bravo, who spoke with the The CDC advises medical professionals to order diagnostic tests for dengue, report cases in a timely manner to public health authorities and promote mosquito bite prevention for people who travel to or live in areas where dengue is common.