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State health officials confirm local case of dengue in Palm Beach County

Fran Middlebrooks, a groundskeeper at Pinecrest Gardens, uses a blower to spray for mosquitoes in August 2016 during an outbreak of Zika in South Florida.
Gaston De Cardenas
/
MIAMI HERALD
FILE - Fran Middlebrooks, a groundskeeper at Pinecrest Gardens, uses a blower to spray for mosquitoes in August 2016 during an outbreak of Zika in South Florida.

The Florida Department of Health announced Monday that it had confirmed a locally-transmitted case of dengue fever in Palm Beach County.

The report marks the second local case for the mosquito-borne disease this year. In July, officials confirmed the first local case in Hillsborough County. Another 49 travel-related cases of dengue have been confirmed across Florida as of July 25.

READ MORE: Cutting Florida property taxes could take a bite out of mosquito control

The news comes as voters prepare to decide on a statewide property tax amendment that would cut funding to services, including the state’s independent mosquito control districts.

According to state health records, a case of West Nile virus confirmed in Alachua County in May is the only other local case of a mosquito-borne illness.

As of July 25, 39 travel cases of Chikungunya have also been reported in counties across the state. Those include 19 in Miami-Dade, three in Palm Beach, two in Monroe and one in Broward. Other travel-related cases of dengue include 21 in Miami-Dade, six in Broward and four in Palm Beach.

This is a News In Brief report. Visit WLRN News for in-depth reporting from South Florida and Florida news.

Jenny Staletovich is WLRN's Environment Editor. She has been a journalist working in Florida for nearly 20 years. Contact Jenny at jstaletovich@wlrnnews.org
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