May 18, 2013
KISSIMMEE, Florida -- November 4, 2012
An Osceola County woman has been diagnosed with dengue fever as health officials investigate a second suspected case.
The Health Department told the Orlando Sentinel it was not immediately known how the 41-year-old woman contracted the disease. Health officials are investigating a second suspected case in a 73-year-old man.
Last month a 19-year-old Seminole County man was diagnosed with dengue fever based on his symptoms and lab tests.
Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes. It's sometimes called "break bone fever" because of the severe joint pain it can cause in extreme cases.
The illness once disappeared from the United States, but cases were reported in the Florida Keys in 2009 and 2010.
Health officials say residents can protect themselves by reducing their exposure to mosquitoes.
