Argentina faces a record level of dengue cases 2:58

(CNN) --

Puerto Rico declared a public health emergency due to the increasing number of dengue cases.

Puerto Rico Health Secretary Carlos Mellado said the health department has recorded 549 cases of dengue so far this year, far exceeding historical figures.

“Our teams have been working on an integrated prevention and control plan in response to arboviruses and we will expand the response implemented,” Mellado said in a statement, noting that the declaration will allow additional resources that can strengthen surveillance and management of programs.

Dengue is the most common mosquito-borne virus worldwide. More than 400 million people are infected each year. It is mainly spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also carries other viruses such as yellow fever, chikungunya and Zika.

The virus is endemic in more than 100 countries with tropical and subtropical climates, primarily in urban and semi-urban areas, according to the World Health Organization, and in the US territories of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and American Samoa.

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About 1 in 4 people infected with dengue will have symptoms, such as fever, nausea, vomiting, rash, and body aches, usually muscle, joint, bone, or pain behind the eyes.

Severe dengue is less common, but symptoms can include shock and internal bleeding. About 40,000 people die each year from severe dengue worldwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health officials in Puerto Rico are urging people to use insect repellent and eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites by preventing water from accumulating.

“It is also essential to wear clothing that covers exposed skin and consider installing mosquito nets on beds and wire mesh on doors and windows,” Mellado said.

In the United States, a dengue vaccine is available for children ages 9 to 16 who have laboratory-confirmed evidence of prior dengue infection and who live in areas where dengue is endemic, including Puerto Rico. There is no dengue vaccine available for adults in the United States.

Dengue outbreaks occasionally occur in the continental United States; Last year, several cases were reported in Florida. But most cases are reported in Puerto Rico, Dr. Gabriela Paz-Bailey, chief of the Dengue Division of the DCC's Vector-Borne Diseases Division, told CNN last year.

“It has the perfect climate for it. “It’s a tropical island,” Paz-Bailey said. “In fact, there are efforts by the health department and other organizations such as the Puerto Rico vector control unit to control dengue in the area.”

Climate change will also fuel the spread of dengue around the world, Paz-Bailey said.

"Higher temperatures will likely expand the range of places where a mosquito can survive," he said. "And then it can also facilitate transmission by other routes, such as faster viral replication in the mosquito and increased mosquito survival."

CNN's Jamie Gumbrecht contributed to this report.

Dengue