Dengue in Florida: Locally acquired cases top 500

The Florida Department of Health reported thirty-nine cases of locally acquired dengue during the last week of October, bringing the total cases to 524 in 12 counties. The distribution of cases are as follows: Brevard, Broward, Citrus (3), Hillsborough (407), Manatee (2), Miami-Dade (12), Orange (10), Palm Beach, Pasco (4), Pinellas (80), Polk, and Seminole (2).

Of the 480 cases serotyped by PCR, 99.5 percent typed as dengue virus type 2 (478). Three hundred eighty-two cases with onset in 2026 have been reported in individuals with travel to a dengue-endemic area in the two weeks prior to onset. Counties reporting cases were: Alachua, Bay, Brevard (4), Broward (20), Collier (5), Duval (3), Hendry, Hernando, Hillsborough (22), Lake, Lee (18), Manatee (3), Marion (2), Miami-Dade (243), Monroe (2), Orange (7), Osceola (3), Palm Beach (16), Pasco (2), Pinellas (4), Polk (4), Sarasota (2), Seminole (4), St.

Johns (4), St. Lucie (8), and Walton. Six cases were reported in non-Florida residents.

Recent Florida history with dengue After decades of near-absence on the U.S. mainland, local transmission re-emerged in Key West (Monroe County), recording 28 locally acquired cases in 2009 and 65 cases in 2010 (DENV-1). Small clusters and sporadic local cases appeared in subsequent years, primarily concentrated in South Florida counties such as Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Martin County (which had 29 cases in 2013).

Florida saw an unprecedented rise in 2022 with over 900 travel-related cases and more than 60 locally acquired cases. Local transmission climbed to a then-modern record of 199 locally acquired cases statewide in 2023. Dengue infection is acquired through the bite of certain species of mosquitoes, primarily Aedes aegypti , but also Aedes albopictus , both of which are present in Florida.

Dengue fever is an important mosquito-borne disease worldwide. It is caused by four related dengue viruses (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, DEN-4). Subscribe to Outbreak News TV Dengue fever can be a painful, debilitating disease but is rarely fatal.

Symptoms appear 3-14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito and include sudden onset of fever, severe headache, eye pain, muscle and joint pain (giving the disease the nickname “breakbone fever”), and bleeding. Gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea may also be present in some cases.

Dengue fever symptoms usually lasts 4-7 days. The disease is often diagnosed incorrectly because the symptoms are similar to influenza and other viruses. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a rare but more severe form of dengue infection that can be fatal if not recognized and treated with supportive care.

The primary risk factor for hemorrhagic fever is previous infection with a different dengue serotype (i.e. getting DENV-2 if you have already DENV-1 puts you at increased risk of hemorrhagic fever).