Breakbone fever common in tropical countries is spreading in Florida

Dozens of people in Florida have been diagnosed with a mosquito borne-illness more commonly found in tropical countries.The frightening thing is: They caught it here.Nicknamed “breakbone fever” because it causes agonizing pain in the joints and bones — making it feel like bones are breaking, especially in the legs and back — the virus has become more common in the US in recent years.Dengue is a viral infection that’s caused by bites from infected mosquitos.

While most people who are infected never experience any symptoms, some get fevers, headaches, nausea, rashes, and of course, the excruciating body aches that gave it its horrifying nickname.The majority of cases in the US come from recent travel to at-risk regions around the world, including the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.But the number of those infected while on US soil is growing.Across the 50 states, 893 dengue cases have been reported this year.

Of those 893, 40 cases were acquired here in the US — with 39 in Florida.One case was locally acquired in Virginia.The locally acquired cases were on Florida’s west coast in Citrus county, Pinellas county (home to St.

Petersburg) and Hillsborough county (home to Tampa).The disease is spread by Aedes mosquitos, which also spread diseases like Zika and yellow fever.These mosquitos are found in much of the southeastern and southwestern US — and are spreading due to rising temperatures.Researchers say that 75% of the country is suitable for these particular bloodsuckers.That’s in part why there was a huge spike in dengue in 2024, when US cases jumped 359% from the annual average over two decades.In Florida, California and Texas, infections were documented in several counties, suggesting the virus was introduced multiple times rather than as part of a single outbreak.

There was also a 2024 outbreak in New Jersey, sickening dozens of people.“Although these introductions did not lead to larger ...