Florida health officials have declared local states of emergency in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Sarasota counties as locally acquired dengue fever cases surge.
Case Numbers and Deaths
The Florida Department of Health reported 190 locally acquired dengue cases in 2026 across six counties, including 170 in Hillsborough and one fatality.
“This is wildly unusual for us,” Chris Wilkerson, a Hillsborough County spokesperson, told the AP, per ABC News.
Health Measures
Heavy rains have created standing water, accelerating Aedes aegypti mosquito breeding, officials said. Residents are urged to inspect homes and discard any stagnant water to curb reproduction.
Infected individuals must isolate because a mosquito that bites them can transmit the virus to others; dengue does not spread directly between people.
Symptoms include sudden high fever, severe bone and joint pain, rash, headache and nausea; patients should seek immediate care if confusion, extreme fatigue or restlessness appear.
Mosquito Risk and Outlook
Aedes aegypti, prevalent in Florida and the southern United States, also carries Zika and yellow fever and bites mainly during daylight hours, increasing transmission risk.
Recent mosquito testing in the affected area returned negative for the virus, indicating that infected females are not passing it to offspring, officials noted. They remain hopeful the outbreak will subside but warn the threat will not disappear.
“I do think it’s going to be somewhat the new normal,” Michael von Fricken, a University of Florida associate professor of environmental and global health, told the AP.
