A ‘Wildly Unusual’ Outbreak of Dengue is Hitting Florida Hard As Several Counties Declare State of Emergency

There’s something rotten in the state of Florida, and it’s sporting six legs and a bloodsucking proboscis as the state is currently beset by dengue-spreading mosquitoes.

Last week, three Florida counties declared a state of emergency in an attempt to corral what health officials have called “wildly unusual” outbreaks of dengue in the area. Nearly 200 cases of locally acquired dengue have been documented in the state so far this year, which now threatens to surpass the previous record set in 2023. At least one person has also died of the viral disease.

Dengue now poses “an immediate and widespread threat to the public health, safety, and welfare of the residents and visitors of Hillsborough County,” read one letter from Hillsborough County officials.

A dengue emergency

Dengue is typically spread by the mosquito species Aedes aegypti and less commonly by the related species Aedes albopictus, both of which are common throughout the southern and eastern parts of the United States. Though historically most dengue cases in the U.S. have been travel related, meaning the infection was caught elsewhere, some states like Florida have started to see an uptick in outbreaks spread by local populations of Aedes mosquitoes.

Most people infected with dengue will have no symptoms, but about a quarter will experience flu-like illness, while one in 20 can develop severe, life-threatening complications like internal bleeding and shock. There are at least four major types of the dengue virus, however, and surviving an infection from one type doesn’t provide immunity against the others; in fact, people who become infected more than once are at higher risk of severe dengue the second time.

Florida has experienced several surges of dengue in recent years, including from an emerging type of dengue that was once rarely seen in the Americas, but 2026 is now on pace to be the worst yet in modern history.

According to the latest CDC data, there have been 392 total cases of dengue in Florida this year, the most of any state. And according to the latest surveillance data from Florida, there have been 190 locally acquired cases as of September 19th, 38 of which were reported in the preceding week. The state’s current highest tally of locally acquired cases is 199, which was set in 2023.

The Florida county hardest hit by dengue this year has been Hillsborough, which has seen 170 cases to date. A Hillsborough resident, since identified as 80-year-old Gay Small, also died from dengue earlier this month—the first such death recorded in the state in nearly a century. Last week, Hillsborough County spokesperson Chris Wilkerson stated that this year’s surge was “wildly unusual” for the county.

What’s being done

Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties have all issued local state of emergencies in response to the dengue surge. The declarations will make it easier for the counties to secure funding and resources for mosquito control efforts, such as aerial spraying.

Florida health officials have advised the public to take added precautions against mosquitoes during this outbreak, including the use of EPA-registered repellents, wearing long and loose-fitting clothing when outdoors if possible, and clearing homes of any standing water.

Mosquitoes can survive in Florida’s warmer climate all year-round, though they are most active through late fall.