| With spring break travel beginning, it's shaping up to be another big year for the mosquito-borne virus, dengue. Dengue infections reached a record in 2024 with more than 13 million cases globally, including unprecedented numbers among US travelers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already issued an alert for ongoing risk and testing recommendations on March 18. The number of reported cases in 2025 reached 760,000 earlier this month, a 15% increase compared to the 5-year average, according to the agency. A public health emergency is in effect for Puerto Rico and a dengue outbreak is in effect in the US Virgin Islands. Dengue is still a low risk to people in the continental US, according to Derek Cummings, an epidemiologist and visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University who has spent his career studying dengue. But there's a higher risk if you are traveling to a tropical region where you could contract the virus and bring it back. This raises the potential for a home-grown mosquito to pick up the virus and pass it to others. It was a surprising sign for Cummings when cases popped up last year in areas like California where the Aedes species mosquito that carries the disease is less common. So what is dengue? The virus is transmitted by the same mosquitos that also spread Zika and chikungunya and can cause fever, joint pain, headaches, nausea and a rash, according to the CDC. Symptoms usually appear within two weeks of being bitten and last for up to seven days. Most people recover, but one in 20 people will experience a severe infection, resulting in internal bleeding and even death. Nearly half the world's population lives in a region with a tropical climate where the disease-carrying mosquitos thrive, including Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and South and Central America. Still, dengue isn't limited to these areas, the CDC says. Climate change will also make more people vulnerable to the illness. And one tricky aspect of the virus — it adapted, so even if you believe you are immune after an infection, you could get re-infected with a more severe case, Cummings says. Mosquito repellent and bed nets are two tools for fighting against the virus. Scientists are working on new methods, including the use of bacteria-infected mosquitoes, to bring down the soaring levels of dengue. A dengue vaccine is also available, but access in the US is limited to Puerto Rico. Though cases of dengue are expected to climb around the world, available prevention methods and treatments should make outbreaks manageable. "It's encouraging we are at a place where we have these tools in the fight against dengue," Cummings says. - Jessica Nix | 
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