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Florida health officials have reported more than 250 locally acquired dengue cases this year, most of them in Hillsborough County near Tampa. Available state and medical records indicate this is the highest calendar-year total for a state in the continental U.S. since at least the 1940s, though the historical data are limited.
Florida has recorded more than 250 locally acquired dengue cases so far this year, making its outbreak the largest in a continental U.S. state in decades based on available records. Most cases have been reported in Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, where local officials have declared emergencies and mosquito-control crews are spraying to reduce the insects that spread the virus.
The Florida tally has reached at least 252 locally acquired cases, according to the state figures cited in the report. That exceeds the state’s previous worst year, 2023, when just under 200 locally spread cases were reported. Florida’s local cases have also edged past its travel-associated cases, counted at 245 as of last week, although the totals are close. At least 13 Hillsborough County cases were diagnosed in travelers, according to state information.
Most of the locally acquired infections are in Hillsborough County. The outbreak first came to light in July, and crews in the Tampa area have been spraying for mosquitoes and checking properties for standing water, including water collected in discarded tires. Officials in Hillsborough and neighboring counties have declared local emergencies.
Dengue is a viral disease spread by mosquitoes. Many people infected with the virus do not develop symptoms; others can experience fever and flu-like illness, including severe aches. Serious cases can involve bleeding, shock or death. Florida reported one dengue death this year: an elderly Tampa woman who died on Sept. 4.
Tampa Faces a Record Local Outbreak
The size and location of the outbreak mark a shift from the usual pattern in Florida, where locally acquired cases have more commonly been concentrated in the Miami area. The current count is already close to the 264 locally acquired cases reported in Hawaii over six months in 2015–2016, described in the report as the largest state outbreak since dengue re-emerged in the continental U.S. The Florida total is nearing, but has not yet surpassed, that figure.
Local transmission means infections are occurring after mosquito bites in Florida, not only among people who contracted dengue while traveling. That raises the importance of mosquito control and personal bite prevention for people in the affected area. The reported death also shows that, although many infections are mild or have no symptoms, dengue can be severe.
The report cites more than 2.2 million infections and nearly 1,200 deaths worldwide this year, according to the World Health Organization. The CDC has reported nearly 1,900 locally acquired U.S. cases this year, most in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is not a state, and its dengue burden is generally much higher than those recorded in any of the 50 states.
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How Florida Reached This Point
For decades, most dengue infections identified in the continental United States were associated with international travel, while locally acquired cases were reported in places including Puerto Rico. In 2009–2010, Key West reported the first locally acquired dengue cases in the continental U.S. outside the Texas-Mexico border region since 1945. Florida has generally recorded more local cases than other continental states, and its prior annual high was just under 200 in 2023.
Dengue has four virus types. After a person is infected with one type, the body develops antibodies against it. According to the source report, infection with a different type can be more complicated: antibodies from an earlier infection may not neutralize the new type and may help it enter immune cells. This interaction has posed challenges for vaccine development.
Dawn Wesson, a Tulane University expert on dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases, said most people in the Tampa area are unlikely to have prior immunity to any dengue type. She said Florida’s travel links to places where dengue circulates may contribute to cases, but the reasons for the Tampa-area surge are not yet clear. Climate change has also been linked by experts to a broader geographic range for the mosquitoes that can transmit dengue.
““There’s a good chance that this is the new normal.””
— Dawn Wesson, a Tulane University expert on dengue and mosquito-borne diseases
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Why Tampa Cases Rose
The precise reasons the outbreak is centered near Tampa rather than in Florida’s more usual southern hotspots remain unclear. Wesson said travel patterns could be one factor, but the available information does not establish a single cause. The close gap between locally acquired and travel-associated cases also means the balance could change as more infections are recorded or classified.
The historical comparison is based on information available from state health departments and medical journals; federal officials say their dengue outbreak data are limited. The report describes Florida’s outbreak as the largest in a state in several decades based on those records, rather than on a complete national dataset. It is also not yet known how many additional cases will be reported or whether Florida’s total will exceed Hawaii’s 264-case outbreak record from 2015–2016.
The CDC has not sent disease investigators to Florida, according to its spokesman, though the agency has provided financial assistance. The source report does not give a specific explanation for why state officials have not requested that investigation.
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Mosquito Control and Case Tracking
Florida officials and local mosquito-control teams are continuing efforts to reduce mosquito populations, including spraying and removing standing water where mosquitoes can breed. Health officials will need to keep tracking new infections and distinguishing locally acquired cases from those associated with travel to understand the outbreak’s growth and spread.
People in affected areas can reduce exposure by using Environmental Protection Agency-registered repellents, including products containing DEET, and wearing loose-fitting long sleeves and long pants. Staying in air-conditioned or screened spaces and emptying pooled water around homes can also limit opportunities for mosquito bites and breeding. The mosquitoes that transmit dengue can bite during the day, with activity often higher around sunrise and sunset.
The next key development is whether new reports push Florida’s count higher and whether transmission remains concentrated in Hillsborough County or is detected elsewhere. The available source material does not provide a timetable for a further state or federal update.
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Key Questions
How many locally acquired dengue cases has Florida reported?
State figures cited in the report put the total at more than 250, including at least 252 locally acquired cases. Most were reported in Hillsborough County.
Is Florida’s outbreak the largest in the continental U.S.?
Available state and medical records suggest it is the largest calendar-year outbreak in a continental U.S. state since at least the 1940s. The comparison is qualified because federal officials say national dengue outbreak data are limited. Florida has not yet exceeded the 264 locally acquired cases reported in Hawaii in 2015–2016.
How is dengue spreading in Florida?
Dengue spreads through bites from infected mosquitoes. Florida’s current outbreak includes locally acquired infections, meaning people were infected within the state, as well as separate cases associated with travel.
What are officials doing in the Tampa area?
Local crews are spraying to reduce mosquitoes and checking properties for standing water where mosquitoes can breed. Officials in Hillsborough and surrounding counties have declared local emergencies.
What remains unknown about the outbreak?
The exact reasons for the surge around Tampa are not established. Travel patterns may be contributing, according to a dengue expert, but further case reporting is needed to show how the outbreak is changing and whether it will surpass Hawaii’s 2015–2016 total.
Source: rss
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