Dengue in the San Gabriel Valley

Dengue is primarily transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. Invasive Aedes mosquitoes are common in the San Gabriel Valley, but cases of locally acquired dengue are rare. Over the past couple of years, travel-related dengue cases have increased due to ongoing outbreaks around the world. Additionally, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health alert advisory regarding the increased risk of dengue virus (DENV) infections in the United States in 2024.

Dengue in the San Gabriel Valley

On September 18, 2024 the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) announced its investigation into two additional locally acquired dengue cases in residents of Baldwin Park. LACDPH initially confirmed a locally acquired dengue case in a resident of Baldwin Park who had no history of travel to areas where dengue is endemic on September 9, 2024. Cases of locally acquired dengue were previously confirmed by Long Beach and Pasadena in fall of 2023.

The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District is working collaboratively with LACDPH to increase surveillance, mosquito testing, mosquito control efforts, and public education to reduce the risk of additional dengue transmission and mosquito populations.

District staff has expanded surveillance by deploying additional traps and increased the frequency of testing to identify the presence of mosquito-transmitted diseases in local mosquito populations. Field staff are conducting door-to-door property inspections and mosquito treatments to reduce adult mosquito populations and breeding sources. The district has conducted four truck-mounted treatment events in the affected community. Depending on surveillance trap results, additional truck-mounted treatments will be considered. Residents may visit www.publichealthmosquito.org to find out more information regarding the treatment area.

If residents suspect they are experiencing any dengue-related symptoms, they are encouraged to reach out to their primary health care provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Dengue Fever?

Dengue is a viral disease caused by any of the four related viruses: dengue virus 1, 2, 3, and 4. Dengue viruses are spread to people through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. A person can be infected with dengue multiple times in their life. The most common dengue symptom is fever with:

Aches and pains (eye pain, typically behind the eyes, muscle, joint, or bone pain)
Nausea, vomiting
Rash

If you feel you are experiencing dengue-related symptoms, please contant your primary care doctor.

Can Dengue be contracted from person-to-person?

No. Dengue can only be transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. A person infected with Dengue during pregnancy can pass the virus to their fetus. Dengue is not passed from female mosquito to mosquito offspring.

Visit the CDC website to learn more about how dengue spreads: LEARN MORE

How to reduce the risk of acquiring Dengue Fever?

The best way to prevent acquiring dengue is to eliminate mosquito sources on your property and use insect repellent that works. Insect repellent should have one of the four active ingredients recommended by the CDC, which include: Picaridin, DEET, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, and IR3535.

If you are traveling to a country with an ongoing dengue outbreak, it is extremely important to use insect repellent while you are there and when you return from your travels to prevent spreading any disease locally.

Visit the CDC website to see what areas around the world are experiencing dengue outbreaks: LEARN MORE

What type of mosquito can transmit Dengue?

Aedes mosquitoes (ankle biters) are capable of transmitting dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Here in the San Gabriel Valley, we have three types of invasive Aedes mosquitoes: Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, and Aedes notoscriptus.

Aedes mosquitoes are agressive, black-and-white insects that thrive in our cities. Aedes are also called "ankle biters" due to their behavior of biting people near the feet.

Learn more about Aedes mosquitoes and how they're different from our native mosquitoes: LEARN MORE

What is the best mosquito solution?

There may be two reasons why you keep seeing mosquitoes in your yard or patio: sources and resting sites.

Mosquitoes only need a SPOONFUL OF WATER and five to seven days of perfect weather to go from mosquito egg to flying adult. We urge residents to practice these simple steps to create a bite-free home: TIP, TOSS, and PROTECT:

TIP out standing water at least every five days.
TOSS out any unused containers that may collect water.
PROTECT yourself using loose-fitted clothing and wearing insect repellent that has one of the CDC-recommend active ingredients: Picaridin, DEET, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus.

Check out mosquito prevention and protection resources for more information: LEARN MORE

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San Gabriel Valley MVCD (the "District") is committed to ensuring that its services are accessible to all members of the public. As part of this commitment, the District strives to provide an accessible website compatible with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1, AA, and commercial screen reading software. Features of the website are created to allow individuals with vision and other impairments to understand and use the website to the same degree as someone without disabilities.

If you need any special assistance or accommodations:

Contact our compliance support team via telephone at: (888) 765-1970

Ongoing Compliance Information

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