Two more Baldwin Park residents have locally acquired dengue — an illness that mosquitoes transmit — in addition to one case announced last week, prompting health officials Wednesday to report the region’s “unprecedented cluster.”
No one in the three-patient cluster had a history of traveling to dengue-prone areas, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The Baldwin Park cases are “an unprecedented number of locally transmitted cases for a region where dengue has not previously been transmitted by mosquitoes,” according to the county health department.
In October and November 2023, health officials in Pasadena and Long Beach reported single cases of locally acquired dengue.
“These additional cases of local virus transmission are a stark reminder for all Los Angeles County residents that simple steps to prevent mosquito breeding and mosquito bites can lower the risk of mosquito-borne diseases and prevent more sustained transmission in the future,” according to a Public Health statement.