Puerto Rico Declares Public Health Emergency Due to Dengue Outbreak

Puerto Rico’s Department of Health declared a public health emergency on Monday in response to a spike in cases of dengue virus in the territory, the AP reported. Puerto Rico has reported at least 549 dengue cases and 340 dengue-related hospitalizations already this year, compared with 1,293 total cases in 2023.

Dengue is a transfusion-transmissible infection caused by a group of four related viruses spread by Aedes species (Ae. aegypti or Ae. albopictus) mosquito. It is endemic in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and most U.S.-affiliated Pacific islands. Additional information is available in AABB’s recently updated Emerging Infectious Diseases Fact Sheets.