Florida confirms first dengue fever death amid one of state's worst outbreaks in decades

The Florida Department of Health has confirmed the state's first dengue fever death of 2026, identifying the victim as 80-year-old Gay Small of Tampa, who died on September 4. The death comes amid one of Florida's worst dengue outbreaks in decades, with 152 locally acquired cases reported, primarily centered in Hillsborough County. Experts warn that climate change is expanding the reach of the virus-carrying Aedes mosquitoes, potentially establishing dengue as a new normal in the region.

Florida dengue outbreak

• ▪Hillsborough County has been the epicenter of Florida's 2026 dengue outbreak, accounting for 134 of the state's 152 locally acquired cases.
• ▪Florida is experiencing one of its worst surges of dengue fever in decades, with 152 locally acquired cases reported in the state so far in 2026.

First dengue death confirmed

• ▪Gay Small of Hillsborough County died on September 4, 2026, from complications of a dengue infection, including septic shock and multi-organ failure.
• ▪University of South Florida public health instructor Kristi Miley stated that Gay Small's death is the first recorded dengue fatality in the Tampa Bay area in nearly a century.
• ▪The Florida Department of Health confirmed on September 18, 2026, that an 80-year-old Tampa woman died of dengue fever on September 4, 2026.

Climate-driven mosquito expansion

• ▪University of Florida associate professor Michael von Fricken stated that the recurring abundance of virus-carrying mosquitoes means the threat of dengue in Florida is likely to become a new normal.
• ▪Dengue is spread by warm-weather Aedes mosquitoes, primarily Aedes aegypti, which are expanding their geographic reach due to climate change.

Dengue fever symptoms

• ▪Dengue fever causes symptoms including high fever, headache, pain behind the eyes, joint and muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and a blotchy rash.
• ▪Approximately 1 in 20 dengue patients progress to severe dengue, which can cause blood vessel leakage, fluid accumulation, dangerous bleeding, organ damage, and death.

Historical US dengue cases

• ▪Florida's highest recorded number of locally acquired dengue cases occurred in 2023, when nearly 200 cases were reported.
• ▪Key West, Florida, reported the first locally acquired dengue cases in the continental United States outside the Texas-Mexico border since 1945 during 2009-2010.

Global dengue infection trends

• ▪The World Health Organization reported more than 2.2 million dengue infections and nearly 1,200 deaths globally so far in 2026.
• ▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 1,500 locally acquired dengue cases in the United States so far in 2026, with most occurring in Puerto Rico.