MIAMI – Health officials have issued an alert in the Florida Keys after two people were confirmed to have dengue fever.

The local alert comes days after the CDC issued a health advisory warning of an increased risk of dengue infections in the country.

The two confirmed dengue cases in the Keys were locally acquired, which means the people didn’t get sick while traveling. Miami-Dade County has also reported locally acquired dengue cases this year.

It takes two cases for an alert to be issued.

In Broward Mosquito control is using drones to get the pests in hard to reach places. They’re spreading larvicide granules, killing mosquitos before they hatch. 

“We are trying to be proactive and trying to reduce the mass as much as possible the adult mosquito population by preventing the larva to turn into adult mosquito,” said Adriana Toro with Broward Mosquito Control. 

This is especially important as 2 cases of Dengue Fever have been reported in Key West. Locally there are 104 in Miami-Dade this year, those are travel related with 6 contracted locally. In Broward there are 30 – all travel related. 

“We work closely with CDC. And when they have reports of Dengue cases we work together with them we spray those areas in more, more intensely,” Toro said. 

The type of mosquito that can carry dengue is the kind found around people’s homes. 

“Our appeal to our resident is that they take the time, walk around the backyard on the front yard and try to eliminate any accumulation of water,” said Chalmers Vasquez with Miami-Dade Mosquito Control. 

“If I stick my hand in here, pull it out. It’s got water all over it. That’s where the mosquitoes breed,” said Tyler Cheeseman with TJC Landscapes & More.

We had a landscaper walk us through a backyard to find those hidden places that become breeding grounds for mosquitos, like potted plants and bromeliads.

The solution: Drain any standing water and treat your plants that hold water. 

“We go by the, the slogan, the motto of “Fight the Bite, Drain and Cover,” Vasquez said.

Symptoms of dengue

• Fever
• Headache 
• Eye pain
• Muscle, joint, or bone pain
• Rash
• Nausea and vomiting
• Unusual bleeding from the nose or gums

Experts say severe dengue can occur, resulting in shock, internal bleeding, and death.

If you or a family member develop the above-mentioned symptoms, visit your healthcare provider or local clinic.

This is what health officials recommend in order to prevent the spread:

How to prevent the spread of dengue

• Drain water from garbage cans, house gutters, buckets, pool covers, coolers, toys, flower pots, or any other containers where sprinkler or rainwater has collected.
• Discard old tires, drums, bottles, cans, pots and pans, broken appliances, and other items that aren’t being used.
• Empty and clean birdbaths and pet water bowls at least once or twice a week.
• Protect boats and vehicles from rain with tarps that don’t accumulate water.
• Maintain swimming pools in good condition and appropriately chlorinated. 
• Empty plastic swimming pools when not in use.

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A woman accused of traveling across the U.S. claiming to be an Irish heiress and scamming several victims out of tens of thousands of dollars has been extradited to the United Kingdom, a U.S. official said Tuesday.

Marianne Smyth, 54, faces charges of theft and fraud by abuse of position for allegedly stealing more than $170,000 from victims she met through her work as an independent mortgage adviser in Northern Ireland from 2008 to 2010. 

A U.S. magistrate judge in Maine ruled in May that there was sufficient evidence for extradition of Smyth, who accusers say has also fashioned herself as a witch, a psychic and a friend to Hollywood stars.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed the extradition, and referred questions to law enforcement officials in Northern Ireland. An attorney for Smyth did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

Authorities overseas have said Smyth stole money that she had promised to invest and also arranged to sell a victim a home but instead took the money. The Maine judge’s ruling on extradition detailed several instances in which prosecutors allege Smyth pocketed checks of £20,000 (about $25,370) or more. One couple accused her of making off with £72,570 (over $92,000).

Smyth’s victims in the U.S. included Johnathan Walton, who worked as a reality television producer for “American Ninja Warrior” and “Shark Tank.” Walton also started a podcast titled “Queen of the Con” in an attempt to document his personal travails with Smyth and expose her misdeeds.

A court in Northern Ireland issued arrest warrants for her earlier this decade. She was arrested in Bingham, Maine, in February.

Smyth was slated to appear at the Newtownards Magistrates Court on Tuesday, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which obtained statements from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

About half the country says the American Dream — the idea that anyone can get ahead through hard work and determination — is still possible, according to findings released Tuesday by Pew Research Center. 

While 53% say the American Dream is still possible, another 41% believe it once was possible, but is not anymore, the recent survey of 8,709 U.S. adults found. That divide roughly held, regardless of race, ethnicity, partisanship and education of respondents, the nonpartisan fact tank found. 

The gap proved wider by age and income, however, with older and wealthier Americans more likely to declare the American Dream to still be feasible, Pew stated. 

Americans 50 and older are more likely than younger adults to say the American Dream is still possible, with about two-thirds of those 65 and older, or 68%, expressing this view, as did 61% of those 50 to 64, according to Pew. Younger adults are less optimistic, with only four in 10, or 42%, under 50 saying it is still possible to achieve the American Dream. 

Sixty-four percent of upper-income Americans say the dream still lives, versus 39% of lower-income Americans — a gap of 25 percentage points. At the center, 56% of middle-income respondents agree the American Dream continues, Pew said.

While relatively few, or 6%, voiced the view that the American Dream was never possible, that number nearly doubled to 11% among Black Americans surveyed.

The findings may illustrate wishful thinking on the part of some respondents, depending on how one calculates what it takes to be living the American Dream. An analysis late last year from financial site Investopedia found that the American Dream costs about $3.4 million to achieve over the course of a lifetime, from getting married to saving for retirement. 

That estimate would put the dream out of reach for most folks, given that the median lifetime earnings for the typical U.S. worker stands at $1.7 million, according to researchers at Georgetown University.  

Further, multiple studies have shown that geography is key to a person’s future success, with where you start out in life largely determining where you end up. Growing up in a more affluent neighborhood offers advantages such as a better education and access to healthier food, for instance.