There is no vaccine against dengue fever, and there are no drugs to treat a dengue infection.
That's why prevention is the most important step in reducing your risk.
Prevention includes things like using mosquito repellent.
You can't catch dengue fever from another person. You can only catch it if an infected mosquito bites you.
Military HQ on Sand Island has been getting calls lately from people asking for mosquito repellent.
"Lot of 'em want the old military one which was 79% DEET, and we've been out of that for several years now. But people in the military know the good old Vietnam mosquito repellent, but we don't have that. Sorry, guys," said Sandii Kamaunu, Military HQ General Manager.
But what they do carry is this -- a formula with 25% DEET.
"It's a pump spray. Just pump it on, rub it on and it's good for 10 hours," said Kamaunu.
DEET is the most common active ingredient in insect repellents.
"The higher the DEET concentration, the better protection it is. Lot of the commercial stuff is very diluted, like 10% or 13%," said Kamaunu.
While Military HQ has not seen an increase in mosquito repellent sales, Sports Authority on Ward, on the other hand, has recently sold more mosquito repellent lotion than usual.
But for the most part, there hasn't been a rush on sales.
"But I figure as soon as it gets worse they'll panic after the fact," said Kamaunu.
Another method of protection, while you're sleeping, is to put one of these over your bed.
"What this is is an individual mosquito net. It's made for one person or over a baby's crib. Four feet high at the head and slopes down to the feet to about two feet high," said Kamaunu.
And Kamaunu knows first hand how effective this mosquito net can be.
She actually uses one every night.
"I live in Kalihi Valley and there are always mosquitoes buzzing around there," said Kamaunu.
The CDC says the carrier of dengue in Hawaii is the Asian Tiger mosquito.
Not all Asian Tiger mosquitoes are carriers -- they actually have to bite someone with dengue first in order to become a carrier.
"We know there's a problem with mosquitoes, protect yourself. Don't panic, protect yourself," said Kamaunu.
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, like in the dish under a flower pot, or containers that may have collected rain water.
It's also a good idea to change out the water in your pet's water bowl daily.
