Dengue-carrying mosquitoes expand their reach into new territories – including Florida

In September 2026, an elderly woman in Tampa Bay, Florida, died after local doctors attributed her death to dengue fever, though the Florida Department of Health has not confirmed it.

This death occurred during a larger dengue outbreak in Hillsborough County, where 95 locally acquired cases were documented between July and September 2026.

The Hillsborough County Health Department issued a mosquito-borne illness alert in August 2026 due to multiple locally spread cases.

This marks a shift, as dengue is often associated with tropical travel but is now appearing in the U.S.

locally.

The disease, nicknamed 'breakbone fever,' causes severe symptoms like high fever, headaches, muscle pain, nausea, and rash, making it easy to mistake for the flu or COVID-19, especially in areas where dengue is uncommon.