Florida is experiencing its largest continental U.S. dengue outbreak in decades, with health officials reporting over 250 locally acquired cases in 2026, primarily in Hillsborough County. The surge has prompted local emergency declarations and intensive mosquito control efforts. Although the CDC provided $800,000 in aid, Florida officials have not invited federal disease investigators to assist. Experts warn that climate change is expanding the geographic reach of virus-carrying mosquitoes.
Statistics on the 2026 Florida outbreak
- ▪As of the week ending September 26, 2026, locally acquired dengue cases in Florida surpassed travel-associated cases by a count of 252 to 245
- ▪Florida health officials reported in the week of September 27, 2026, that more than 250 locally acquired cases of dengue have been recorded in Florida in 2026, with the vast majority in Hillsborough County
Historical comparisons of dengue outbreaks
- ▪The 2026 Florida dengue outbreak represents the most locally acquired cases in a calendar year for any continental U.S. state since at least the 1940s
- ▪The Tampa-area dengue outbreak, which first came to light in July 2026, is on the verge of surpassing the 264 locally acquired cases reported in Hawaii during a 2015-2016 outbreak
- ▪Florida's previous worst year for locally transmitted dengue cases was 2023, when just under 200 locally spread cases were reported
Local response to the outbreak
- ▪Workers in the Tampa area are spraying day and night to reduce the mosquito population and checking properties for pooled water where mosquitoes breed
- ▪Officials in Hillsborough and surrounding counties declared local emergencies in response to the 2026 dengue outbreak
CDC involvement in the Florida outbreak
- ▪The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provided $800,000 in assistance to the Florida health department for the 2026 dengue outbreak
- ▪The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not sent disease investigators to Florida because state officials have not invited them, according to CDC spokesman Jason McDonald
Characteristics of the dengue virus
- ▪The dengue virus has four types, and a secondary infection with a different type can cause antibodies from the first infection to assist the virus in entering immune cells and replicating
- ▪Dengue is a mosquito-borne virus that can cause fever, flu-like symptoms, and severe aches, earning it the nickname "breakbone fever."
- ▪Severe cases of dengue can lead to bleeding, shock, and death, with one death of an elderly Tampa woman reported in Florida on September 4, 2026
Recommended measures to prevent dengue
- ▪Health experts recommend that people in dengue outbreak areas apply Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents containing active ingredients like DEET
- ▪Experts advise wearing loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and staying indoors behind screens or in air-conditioned rooms, especially around sunrise and sunset, to prevent dengue
Climate change and dengue risk
- ▪Dawn Wesson, a Tulane University expert, stated that climate conditions and persistent mosquito populations will likely make local dengue outbreaks a more frequent problem
- ▪Warm-weather mosquitoes that transmit dengue are expanding their geographic reach in the United States due to climate change, according to experts
Debatable claims
- ▪Local dengue transmission has become a permanent fixture in the continental United States
- ▪Florida should invite CDC disease investigators to manage the dengue outbreak
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