The number of locally acquired dengue fever cases reported in Japan is now up to 144, according to a Japan Times report Friday. The first locally transmitted case in 70 years was reported in a teenage girl from Saitama Prefecture one month ago.

Japan Image/CIA
Japan
Image/CIA

The outbreak has prompted the closing of several popular Tokyo parks to include Yoyogi Park and Shinjuku Central Park. Restrictions have also been placed on visits to Aoyama Park, Sotobori Park and Meiji Jingu Gaien Park.

Now the health ministry says a case of dengue fever is now suspected in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward, relatively far from the suspected epicenter of a recent outbreak of the disease. This suspected case is in a woman bitten by a mosquito at Sumida Park who started showing symptoms of dengue fever last week. She is currently hospitalized.

The last indigenous case of dengue fever was reported in Japan in 1945. Japan sees scores of imported dengue cases annually from travelers to endemic areas. In 2013, they reported 249 cases.

Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used to be called “break-bone fever” because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking.

People get the dengue virus from the bite of aninfected Aedes mosquito. It is not contagious from person to person. For more infectious disease news and informationvisit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page

There are three types of dengue fever in order of less severe to most: the typical uncomplicated dengue fever,dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHS) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Looking for a job in health care? Check here to see what’s available

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there may be 50–100 milliondengue infections worldwide every year. However, new research from the University of Oxford and the Wellcome Trust, using cartographic approaches, estimate there to be 390 million dengue infections per year worldwide.