An 18-year-old man was the first person to locally acquire a case of Dengue Fever in Miami-Dade county in 2013, health officials said.
The person _ who has since recovered _ was diagnosed with Dengue Fever based on their symptoms and it was confirmed by lab tests.
Dengue Fever is a viral disease transmitted by a mosquito common the southeastern U.S. and the tropics. It is not spread person to person. Symptoms include a fever over 101 degrees Fahrenheit, severe headache, severe pain behind the eyes, muscle, joint and bone pain, rash, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting.
Officials say there is no medication or vaccine for the fever, but residents should take measures to guard against the disease. They include: draining standing water, discarding old tires, buckets and other items that aren't in use. Cover your skin with clothing when outside when mosquitoes are active, wear repellent and use mosquito netting to cover children until 2 months old. Also, cover doors and windows with screens.
Alvaro Mejia-Echeverry with the state department of health said a lot of people have Dengue and they aren't even aware of it.
"My joints felt like they were just all tensed up, and severe pain. They call Dengue Fever 'breakbone fever' is an alternate name for it. That's really how it feels, like your bones are breaking," said Rick Branch, who also had Dengue Fever.
Health officials said the latest case of Dengue is an 18-year-old man who travels frequently, but they didn't identify him.
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