For the first time in close to 70 years, Japanese health authorities confirmed a case of homegrown dengue fever last Wednesday.

Local media reports said a teenage girl infected in Saitama Prefecture hasn't recovered. The patient has never traveled overseas.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government will identify the route of the virus infection and gather more information on cases suspected of being dengue. Suga reassures the public it's not usual for dengue fever to cause serious conditions and that human-to-human transmission isn't possible.

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There are about 200 cases of dengue in Japan every year but these involve Japanese who have traveled abroad where they contracted the virus and developed symptoms after returning to Japan.

Dengue in Japan was eradicated after World War II.

The patient goes to school in Tokyo and developed a high fever of 40 degrees Centigrade on August 20. She was hospitalized in Saitama.

All 47 prefectural governments in Japan has been instructed by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to report any suspicious cases that appear like dengue.

Dengue fever symptoms include high fever, headaches, muscle pain and a rash that appears after two to 15 days.

Victims go through this ordeal for about a week but in some cases, die because of a sudden drop in blood pressure and severe bleeding.

There are about 100 million cases of dengue in more than 100 countries around the world. There is no known vaccine for the disease.

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