CDC: Don't let dengue outbreak change Hawaii travel plans

HONOLULU (AP) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Hawaii's dengue fever outbreak on the Big Island isn't huge compared to other parts of the world.

As of Friday, the number of confirmed cases has grown to 88. The state Department of Health says 75 cases are Hawaii residents and 13 are visitors.

As many as 400 million people worldwide are infected yearly with viral illness spread by mosquitoes.

CDC Division of Vector-Borne Diseases Director Dr. Lyle Petersen says while the Big Island outbreak isn't huge, it's unique for Hawaii, where the last major outbreak was in 2001 on Maui.

There's a dengue alert to Hawaii travelers on the CDC website but Petersen says no one should alter vacation plans. He says the risk to Hawaii travelers seems minimal.