It wasn’t too long ago that we were focused on mosquitoes spreading the Zika virus. While Dengue Fever was mentioned in lists of other mosquito-borne disease vectors, it was usually confined to Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case.
In the last month, nearly 200 cases of dengue fever have been reported across the Sunshine State. Hillsborough County seems to be the center of the outbreak, with more than 170 cases. But neighboring Pinellas, Pasco, and Lee counties all have cases, as well as further East in Orange, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. And state officials fear there may be significant underreporting of cases, since it’s not a disease we’re very familiar with.
Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas all declared local states of emergency.
Saddled With Pain
Also referred to as “breakbone fever,” dengue causes extreme pain. In the worst cases, your bones and joints literally feel like they’re breaking apart. However, dengue can also exist in your body without causing symptoms, or maybe just mild discomfort. Headache, tiredness and fever are the most common indicators, often mistaken for the flu.
But with dengue, your temperature bounces around a bit, jumping from 104 down to 99 or 100, then back up to 102 or 104. You may also experience an upset stomach or vomiting, pain behind your eyes, and swollen glands.
For some, symptoms get progressively worse and can develop into dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. This is when the viral infection starts to attack your blood. It can cause blood vessels to leak, your blood pressure to drop, and reduces the clot-forming platelets in your blood stream. Internal bleeding, shock, organ failure and death can result if left untreated.
The Florida Situation
Normally, you’d be advised to seek a doctor’s care if you develop a fever and mild symptoms of dengue fever after recent travel. And the majority of cases of dengue in Florida can be traced back to someone who was infected during overseas travel. There have been 212 known travel-related cases in Florida reported so far in 2026.
But for this most recent outbreak, 26 cases of international travel-linked dengue were reported from September 13-20th. During that same period, 38 cases popped up that were not related to travel of any kind, but were confirmed to be transmitted by local mosquitoes. Of the 392 cases of dengue in Florida this year, 190 were locally transmitted.
Dengue is only rarely conveyed between humans, through blood transfusions, organ transplants, or accidental needlestick injuries. If a pregnant mother is infected, she can also pass it on to her baby in the womb. But all it takes is a bite from a mosquito who's just picked up the virus from an infected person for you to be infected.
A Vector to Avoid
In addition to dengue fever and Zika virus, mosquitoes are known to spread yellow fever, West Nile fever, chikungunya fever, and Japanese encephalitis. The parasites that cause malaria and Lymphatic filariasis are also carried by mosquitoes and transmitted into our bloodstream by their bite. Malaria alone causes more than 600,000 deaths annually, mostly children in Africa.
Local mosquito control offices across the Gulf Coast of Florida are taking action to minimize mosquito populations, but they need your help. Do your best to eliminate standing water around your home and in your yard. Bird baths, puddles, pet dishes, gutters and marshy land all offer opportunities for mosquitoes to lay eggs and breed more offspring. Check around doorways and under your AC unit too.
Dress in long sleeves and long pants. Light citronella candles or torches if you’ll be sitting outside. Eucalyptus, lemon grass and other essential oils can deter mosquitoes. Since it’s hard to avoid mosquitoes entirely on the Gulf Coast of Florida, we offer our exclusive Mosquito Protection Program. Our No Bite Zones paq’s turn pregnant momma mosquitoes and their offspring into vegans. NO MOSQUITO BITES, NO DENGUE FEVER! For more details or to schedule your delivery of materials, please give us a call!