Florida confirmed its first death from dengue in 2026 amid a rise in infections acquired within the state, with Hillsborough County in the Tampa area becoming the main hotspot of the outbreak.
The Florida Department of Health confirmed the death on Friday, according to AP, while local reports indicated that the victim was an 80-year-old woman from Tampa who died on September 4.
The confirmation comes when the official data itself shows an unusual expansion of transmission.
The latest arbovirus surveillance report from the Florida Department of Health, corresponding to the week of September 6 to 12, recorded 152 locally acquired dengue cases in 2026, spread across six counties.
The vast majority are concentrated in Hillsborough, with 134 local infections, followed by Miami-Dade and Pinellas, with seven cases each; Pasco, with two; and Orange and Palm Beach, with one each in that official count.
The growth has been particularly rapid in Hillsborough.
On September 4, Florida's Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo, officially reported 59 locally acquired infections in that county.
Just over a week later, the state report recorded 134.
Furthermore, the Orange County Health Department announced last Friday two additional local cases of dengue, subsequent to the period covered by the latest available weekly report, so the state count will continue to be adjusted as new reports come in.
Florida is experiencing one of its most intense years of local transmission in recent times. According to the historical statistics from the Florida Department of Health, in 2023 the state recorded 199 locally acquired dengue cases, the highest number in the published series for the period 2014-2024.
Dengue is a viral disease primarily transmitted through the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
It can cause fever, severe muscle and joint pain, headache, and skin rashes; in severe cases, it may lead to bleeding, shock, and even death.
Authorities have intensified surveillance and mosquito control in the affected areas.
The Department of Health recommends using repellents registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), wearing clothing that covers arms and legs when possible, and eliminating any standing water around homes and businesses, as even small amounts can become breeding grounds.
The increase is not limited to Tampa Bay. Miami-Dade confirmed a locally acquired case of dengue in early August, while other counties were later added to the list of areas with local transmission.
At the beginning of September, dengue cases were already showing a significant increase in Florida, with local transmission hotspots in various areas of the southern and central parts of the state.
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