Illegal alien mosquitoes. Seriously, any latitude South of the US border is prone to dengue, and it is a major pain in the butt of a disease. Three weeks of utter misery.
Speaking from personal experience, I knew a girl who got dengue in the Phoenix metro area, and she was not a happy camper. She had about eight truly weird and unpleasant symptoms, and none of the local doctors had ever seen a dengue patient. With an Internet diagnosis, based on symptoms, her boyfriend got her a test for the disease, which turned up positive.
Unfortunately, all the doctors could do was shrug. Nothing much they could do for it, but treat the symptoms. And recommend that she never, ever again travel South of the border. Because there is a general sense that a *second* infection with dengue is much more likely to go hemorrhagic.
“Dengue fever usually starts suddenly with a high fever, rash, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and muscle and joint pain. The severity of the joint pain has given dengue the name “breakbone fever.” Nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite are common. A rash usually appears 3 to 4 days after the start of the fever. The illness can last up to 10 days, but complete recovery can take as long as a month. Older children and adults are usually sicker than young children.
Most dengue infections result in relatively mild illness, but some can progress to dengue hemorrhagic fever. With dengue hemorrhagic fever, the blood vessels start to leak and cause bleeding from the nose, mouth, and gums. Bruising can be a sign of bleeding inside the body. Without prompt treatment, the blood vessels can collapse, causing shock (dengue shock syndrome). Dengue hemorrhagic fever is fatal in about 5 percent of cases, mostly among children and young adults.”
In other words, hemorrhagic dengue is like ebola fever. Sucks.
Figures this crap would show up when I am exiled on this god forsaken SE coast.
Lived in Phoniex for 13 years, probably got 12 mosquito bites in that time. I think I have got 10 just sitting here posting on the internet this morning.
WHY, WHY do people live here????