Locally acquired dengue case confirmed in Catalonia

Catalan public health authorities confirmed a case of locally acquired dengue was detected in southern Catalonia in late August.

The patient, a 4-year-old boy, was hospitalized at the Sant Joan University Hospital in Reus, not far from Tarragona, and has since been discharged.

Epidemiologists were able to determine that the child was infected with the mosquito-borne virus in Catalonia and not abroad, as is more commonly the case.

Public health authorities are now actively searching for other possible cases in the area. 

Some 100 million to 400 million people are infected globally every year, mainly in tropical or subtropical regions, according to the World Health Organization. Around 40,000 die of the virus annually. 

While most people who have been diagnosed with the virus in Catalonia previously traveled to countries where it is endemic, the first locally acquired case was detected in 2018. 

If symptoms occur, they usually appear up to 4 days after infection and can last for 2 to 7 days. 

Common symptoms include a high fever of over 40ºC, headaches, aches and pains, nausea, or vomiting. Most people recover within a week, but severe dengue symptoms can be life-threatening. 

Aside from mosquito bites, it can also be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy or, rarely, through infected blood, laboratory, or healthcare setting exposures.