Miss America 2011 Teresa Scanlan of Gering says she’s having to skip attending this year’s pageant because she’s suffering Dengue Fever…an infectious tropical disease characterized by fever, muscle and joint pain, headaches, and a rash similar to the measles.

Scanlan…a freshman at a small Christian college in Virginia… says on her Facebook page that she caught Dengue Fever…which is transmitted by mosquitoes…while in Haiti over the holidays, with her doctor saying no traveling while she recovers.

Although Dengue Fever can develop into two life-threatening forms, it usually just leaves victims feeling as if they have a really bad case of the flu. Scanlan says her doctor told her she should recover in 3-to-4 weeks as long as she rests and drinks lots of fluids.

Scanlan was scheduled to take part in some of the Miss America activities and cover the pageant for the TMG Pageant Network, but is instead at school in Virginia. She says she’s devestated to have to cancel, and hopes to recover quickly…asking everyone to pray that happens.