The secret the tourist industry isn’t telling you about traveling to Hawai’i
As the rest of the world (and media attention) focuses on the zika virus, we in Hawaii are living day-to-day with Dengue fever (pronounced Den-gee). As a resident of Hawaii Island (Big Island), I’m sitting in the cross hairs of the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease in the world. I know some of its victims. It’s a debilitating disease, called the “Bonecrushing” disease in the past because of severe muscle pains.
What is dengue fever?
Let’s back up a moment and explain the threat. Dengue fever is a viral illness spread by the bite of the Aedes mosquito. Symptoms typically start 5-6 days after the initial bite, but the onset ranges from 2-15 days. Symptoms include fever, rash, severe headaches, joint and muscle pains and possible blood clotting issues. It usually goes away after 1-2 weeks. Four types of dengue make finding a cure or an effective vaccine difficult. Producing a vaccine to treat all four challenges scientists.
259 case are confirmed as of 2-19-2016.






