The first locally acquired case of dengue fever in Miami-Dade County in more than 50 years was confirmed Thursday by health officials. They warned people to take precautions against the mosquitoes that carry it.
``This is a big deal,'' said Lillian Rivera, administrator of the Miami-Dade Health Department.
``We have not had a locally acquired case of dengue fever since the 1950s,'' said Dr. Fermin Leguen, the department's chief epidemiologist.
The victim, described only as a man who had not traveled outside Miami-Dade County for more than two weeks, was briefly hospitalized but has fully recovered, Rivera said. His case was confirmed by laboratory tests.
Health officials said they don't know where the man acquired the disease. It was a different strain from the one that has caused 57 locally acquired cases in Key West and one in Broward County.
In an unusual Veterans Day press conference, Miami-Dade health officials also reminded the public that the Florida-wide alert issued in July about Eastern Equine Encephalitis has not been lifted, with four non-fatal human cases reported then in Hillsborough, Wakulla and Leon counties.
Leguen also repeated the warning to local doctors and hospitals to be on the lookout for cholera cases that might be spread by people returning from Haiti, where a cholera epidemic has killed more than 600 people.
And Rivera said efforts by Miami-Dade County and Miami Beach are increasing to handle an outbreak of hookworm spreading on the Atlantic Ocean beach between 40th and 60th streets. Six human cases have been reported. The disease is spread primarily by the feces of dogs and cats.
Asked if her department feels it's under siege, Rivera said, ``It's just part of living. We're ready 24/7 to deal with all that Mother Nature has thrown at us.''