Travelers throughout Central and South America should be on alert for a troubling disease that is on the rise. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its Global dengue travel notice, due to countries experiencing higher than usual surges of the disease. 

The advisory includes Brazil, Colombia, Fiji, Mexico, and Saint Lucia. The agency says that the disease is carried by mosquito bites, and symptoms include fever, pain, and other flu-like symptoms. 

“Dengue can become severe within a few hours,” the advisory states. “Severe dengue is a medical emergency, usually requiring hospitalization.”

The full list of countries in the advisory includes: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Comoros, Cuba, Ecuador, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Sudan, and Tonga. These countries were also highlighted in a map of having reported higher cases than previous years. 

Preventing the dengue disease from infecting can be followed by stopping mosquito bites from happening. For example, the agency recommends using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts, and pants. The agency also recommends the dengue vaccine as an additional prevention measure. 

If a traveler contracts dengue fever, they should reach out to medical professionals for counsel; however there is no current medicine to immediately combat the disease. 

“Maintaining good hydration, particularly as people are sick and having fevers, is important,” Stacey Rizza, a doctor and Mayo Clinic Infectious Diseases expert, said in a news release. “They can use acetaminophen to take care of the fevers, bring down the temperature, and then ensure they take in fluids and still get some form of eating.”

While some travelers may be concerned at the prospect of dengue, the CDC has listed its advisory at the lowest priority tier, ‘Level 1 – Practice Usual Precautions’, which is below the Level 4 ‘Avoid All Travel’. 

The CDC maintains a helpful checklist in its “Travelers’ Health” section, including the ability to see alerts by destination and country.