TUESDAY, May 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- In 2024, there were 3,798 dengue cases reported, 97.2 percent of which were associated with travel outside the reporting jurisdiction, according to research published in the May 14 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Sandra J. Kiplagat, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues describe reports of dengue cases to ArboNET, the national arboviral surveillance system for the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
The researchers found that an average of 828 dengue cases were reported annually during 2010 to 2023. A total of 3,798 cases were reported during 2024, representing an increase of 359 percent above the annual average during 2010 to 2023. Overall, 97.2 percent of the 3,798 cases were associated with travel outside the reporting jurisdiction in the two weeks preceding symptom onset; 2.8 percent were acquired locally. During July to September, the number of dengue cases peaked, accounting for 41.6 percent of total annual cases; the highest percentage of cases (21.8 percent) occurred among those aged 50 to 59 years. Among travel-associated cases, acquisition mainly occurred in the Caribbean, North America, and Central America (34.1, 24.3, and 15.6 percent, respectively); 57.5 percent of all cases were accounted for by Hispanic or Latino persons.
"A record-high number of dengue cases, primarily travel associated, were reported among residents of U.S. states and D.C. in 2024, highlighting an urgent need for coordinated dengue prevention and response efforts across public health agencies, clinical settings, and vector control programs," the authors write.
