It was 10 a.m. on a Monday when a young patient entered my office, screaming and complaining of the worst headache of her life. She described feeling as though her bones were breaking and had a dangerously high fever. This young patient had contracted dengue fever during a recent trip to Cuba.
As a pediatrician in a low-income area of Miami, I am deeply concerned about the increasing threat of mosquito-borne diseases, particularly among children. My concerns are heightened by the frequent travel between Miami and Cuba, where dengue fever is prevalent.
Climate change, with higher temperatures and increased rainfall, is making Miami a more suitable habitat for mosquitoes. This exacerbates the problem, as two species — Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) — are capable of transmitting viruses such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya. These infections, which can be particularly dangerous for children, are becoming more common in our community.
The symptoms of pediatric dengue can include high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, joint and muscle pain, rash and mild bleeding, such as nosebleeds or easy bruising. In some cases, dengue fever can progress to a potentially life-threatening form called severe dengue or dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can cause bleeding, organ failure and death.