Search Here

Hawaii has been invaded by dengue. On Dec. 1, Dr. Lyle Petersen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's division of vector-borne diseases went to the island state in order to talk to the concerned health department officials, reported CNN.

The Hawaii Department of Health  said it is "investigating a cluster of locally-acquired cases of dengue fever on Hawaii Island (the Big Island)."

Reports says that 117 cases of the mosquito-borne disease are confirmed, with 103 living in Hawaii and 14 visiting. Brought by Aedes aegypto and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, "no other incidents of infection have been recorded since 2011". The virus has been said to have been brought here by non-residents.

Even though the patients suffer a death rate of 1 percent, it brings in "unbearable body aches, fever and a rash." It is possible to treat the illness with acetaminophen, and can be cured in a couple of weeks.

While there are more than 100 million cases every year, according to Time. it is rife in tropical Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and the South Pacific.