Florida health officials confirmed 524 locally acquired cases of dengue fever as a historic outbreak reaches into November, driven largely by intense transmission in the Tampa area.
The total marks the largest domestic outbreak in the United States in decades. According to the Florida Department of Health, the state recorded 39 more local infections in a single week, spreading across 12 counties. Last year, the state tallied just 62 cases.
Hillsborough County remains the epicenter with 407 confirmed cases. Pinellas County follows with 80 cases, while Miami-Dade County has reported 12, Orange County 10, Pasco County 4, Citrus County 3, Manatee County 2, and Brevard, Broward, Palm Beach, and Polk counties have each recorded a single case.
The outbreak has claimed one life. An 80-year-old Tampa woman, Gay Small, died of a dengue infection
alongside septic shock and multi-organ failure, according to a death certificate cited by the Pembroke Pines News. It is the state’s first dengue death in decades.
Local jurisdictions have maintained emergency declarations to streamline funding and procurement for mosquito abatement. Hillsborough County extended its state of local emergency through November 12, marking its latest renewal since the order was first issued on September 24.
Pinellas and Pasco counties enacted parallel emergency measures in late September as well. Mosquito control agencies have deployed helicopter and truck spraying operations to target both adult mosquitoes and larvae.
Low-flying aircraft blanketed parts of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties with a fine mist containing Bti, a natural soil bacteria that kills mosquito and black fly larvae. Paolo Pecora, a senior environmental scientist with Hillsborough County Mosquito Management, told Yahoo that aggressive treatments are proving successful.
We want to knock down the adult mosquitoes that are actively spreading the virus, and then also we want to make sure that we’re eliminating the offspring
Paolo Pecora, senior environmental scientist, Hillsborough County Mosquito Management
So we’re asking the public just to be conscious out there.
Paolo Pecora, senior environmental scientist, Hillsborough County Mosquito Management
Targeted zones have reported steep reductions in the population of Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito species responsible for transmitting the virus. The East Lake area recorded a 97 percent reduction in that vector.
Public health officials emphasize that Aedes mosquitoes are container breeders,
requiring as little as a tablespoon of standing water to lay eggs. Following recent rainfall across the region, officials urge residents to inspect private properties, empty standing water receptacles, wear insect repellent, and cover up.
The surge in local transmission far exceeds previous records. The prior largest outbreak in the continental U.S. involved 264 local cases on Hawaii’s Big Island between September 2015 and March 2016. In Florida, the previous high in recent memory reached 189 locally acquired cases in 2023.
Alongside local cases, Florida has recorded 382 travel-associated dengue infections this year from individuals arriving from endemic regions abroad. The state has also documented eight positive samples of locally acquired West Nile virus and one case of chikungunya.
Infectious disease experts note that all four dengue virus types have been identified in Florida since 2009. Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert at Florida International University, told WPLG Local 10 that the current outbreak is overwhelmingly driven by a specific, highly potent subtype.
Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist and public health expert, noted on social media that Dengue is a doozy, mainly because the second infection can be more dangerous than the first.
As cooling and drying air moves into Florida, weekly case counts have begun to slow slightly, though public health monitoring and vector control operations remain active across affected counties.
Hillsborough County’s extended state of emergency is set to remain in effect through November 12, pending further review by local administrators.
Earlier coverage: Brazil's Dengue Cases Projected to Reach 860,000 in 2027 Amid Warning of Rising Risks
