Health officials confirm 1 case of dengue fever in Miami-Dade

The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade issued an advisory after confirming a case of dengue fever in South Florida. According to the advisory, officials confirmed a locally-acquired case of dengue and health officials have begun coordinating surveillance, prevention and control efforts. Dengue is a fever that can present as a flu-like illness with severe muscle aches and joint pain, fever and sometimes a rash. Symptoms of dengue often appear within 14 days of being bitten by an infected mosquito. Those symptoms usually last from four days to a week. Dengue fever is not considered contagious, and is rarely fatal. The best ways to lower your risk to exposure is by using insect repellants and clear out any standing water where mosquitos often congregate and breed.