Dengue fever cases rise as summer weather lures more people outdoors

AccuWeather

Summer weather is in full swing and mosquitos are everywhere you turn. While they're typically a nuisance, they can spread deadly diseases like dengue fever.

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00:00With a record number of cases reported in North and South America this summer,

00:05dengue fever is a threat to millions of Americans.

00:09We are getting reports of not only many more cases than we've historically seen

00:14in regions where it is endemic, but also we're hearing about new cases in areas

00:19where previously we hadn't really seen dengue virus pop up before.

00:23Dengue is a virus carried and spread by mosquitoes.

00:27Up until now, it's been common in countries that are hot and humid.

00:31According to the CDC, most people with dengue experience little to no symptoms.

00:37For those who do, fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash

00:41are the most common symptoms.

00:43So if you are having cold or flu-like symptoms, you have a fever,

00:47definitely a good idea to go get checked out by the doctor.

00:50When you would want to tell them that you could perhaps be carrying dengue

00:55if you've traveled to an area where it's endemic.

00:57With more people spending time outdoors because of the warmer weather,

01:01now is the time to protect yourself from mosquito bites.

01:04Crawley says to avoid coming into contact with mosquitoes

01:08by wearing clothing that protects your skin.

01:10The first thing I always recommend, the easiest thing,

01:13is just to wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts.

01:17You want to wear light colors.

01:19Mosquitoes have been shown to be more attracted to black and darker colors,

01:22so that helps.

01:23You should also use an EPA-registered insect repellent

01:26and take steps to prevent mosquitoes from lingering in your yard.

01:29You know, tipping over sources of water that accumulate, flower pots,

01:34making sure your gutters are clean,

01:36just making sure you're not holding a lot of standing water.

01:39That's going to allow mosquitoes to reproduce.

01:41So if you can decrease the water,

01:43you're going to just decrease the amount of mosquitoes that you see.

01:46For AccuWeather, I'm Emmy Victor.

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