Should Florida residents and visitors be concerned about the surge of dengue cases in the state?
Yes, but don't panic. There are things you can do to help prevent being bitten by the mosquitoes carrying the virus.
As of Sept. 12, there have been 152 cases of locally acquired cases of denguereported in the state, including one death.
Compare that to 62 cases in all of 2025, and it's fast approaching the highest number in recent memory: 199 cases reported in 2023.
Dengue — sometimes called breakbone fever because of the pain it sometimes brings — is caused by the bite of a mosquito carrying the virus.
➤ Meet the mosquito, the world's deadliest animal
About 1 in 20 patients with dengue developsevere, life-threatening disease called severe dengue, according
to the Centers for Disease Control, and because there are four types of dengue viruses, people can be infected several timesin their life.
Here's what you should know about dengue in Florida and suggestions on what you can do to stay safe, especially if you live in the state's dengue hotspot on the state's West Coast.
How bad is dengue in Florida right now?
As of Sept. 12, there have been 152 cases of locally acquired cases of denguereported, an increase of 41 new locally acquired case in one week, nearly all of them in Hillsborough County, according to the Sept. 12 update from the Florida Department of Health.
Hillsborough County continues to lead the state with 134 confirmed cases, while the remaining cases are scattered around Miami-Dade, Pinellas, Pasco, Orange, and Palm Beach counties.
Eleven counties are under either a mosquito-borne illness advisory or mosquito-borne illness alert.
How does spread of dengue in Florida this year compare to other years?
Florida is facing one of its worst outbreaks of the mosquito-borne illness in decades, according to Ophthalmology Advisor.
The worst year in recent records was 2023, when 199 cases were reported by the Florida Department of Health.
As of Sept. 12, there were 152 locally acquired cases of dengue in Florida.
"Dengue is the most common vector-borne viral disease in the world, causing an estimated 50 million to 100 million infections and 25,000 deaths each year," according to the Centers for Disease Control.
From 1946 to 1980, no cases of dengue acquired in the continental United States had been reported, the CDC said.
Then a New York physician in 2009 treated a woman with dengue who had visited Key West. Two other dengue infections were confirmed in Key West residents the CDC said.
Since that time, outbreaks and sporadic local dengue cases have been reported.
Florida cases of locally acquired dengue by year based on numbers provided by Florida Department of Health:
- 2026: 152 as of Sept. 12
- 2025: 62
- 2024: 93
- 2023: 199
- 2022: 68
- 2021: 0
- 2020: 77
- 2019: 18
- 2018: 1
- 2017: 0
- 2016: 5
- 2015: 1
- 2014: 7
There were 90 cases of dengue in Key West between 2009 and 2010, and 23 cases in Martin County in 2013, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Dengue outbreaks in early 1900s affected thousands in Florida
There were early reports of dengue in the Florida from the Dry Tortugas that date back to 1903, and in Miami in 1904 and 1908, according to the National Library of Medicine.
"More widespread outbreaks that affected close to 12,000 people occurred in 1905 and included Key West, Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, and probably other locations.
"Outbreaks were reported from Hillsborough — the hotspot in the 2026 outbreak — and Monroe counties in 1907.
"In 1921-1922, the widespread dengue outbreak that affected Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida resulted in almost 83,000 cases and 69 deaths," according to the National Library of Medicine.
"In 1934, another dengue epidemic affected a large portion of the state including Miami, Tampa and numerous other cities and populated areas and produced more than 1,600 reported cases.
"At the time, it was estimated that more than 10% of the population of Dade County and that as many as 15,000 people in the city of Miami — which had a population of 135,000 — were infected with the virus."
Should Florida residents be concerned about dengue fever?
Yes, but there are precautions you can take.
Just before Labor Day, Florida State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo urged Florida residents to take a "few simple steps to protect themselves and their families from mosquito bites":
- Use insect repellent
- Cover up when possible
- Remove standing water around your home.
- "Mosquitoes do not need a large amount of water to reproduce. Even abottle cap of standing watercan be enough for mosquitoes to breed," according to the Florida Department of Health.
"Individual prevention helps protect you and your community,” Ladapo said.
What are symptoms of dengue, breakbone fever?
"Dengue fever can be a painful, debilitating disease but is rarely fatal," the Florida Department of Health said. Symptomsappear three to 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”)
- bleeding
- Gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea may also be present in some cases.
"Dengue fever symptoms usually last four to seven days. The disease is often diagnosed incorrectly because the symptoms are similar to influenza and other viruses," the CDC said.
"Around one out of every 20 people infected by a dengue virus develops severe dengue, a life-threatening medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention," according to YaleMedicine.
Why is dengue called 'breakbone fever?'
Dengue is sometimes called “breakbone fever” because, in addition to fever, "it can cause severe aches and pains, especially in the legs, joints, and back," according to YaleMedicine.
Dengue does not actually cause bones to break, according to YaleMedicine.
Is dengue contagious?
Dengue is spread by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes become infected with dengue after biting a person with the virus. Those infected mosquitoes then spread the virus to other people through bites.
The Centers for Disease Control said a woman who is infected with the dengue virus during pregnancy could pass the virus to her fetus, causing death to the fetus, low birth weight or premature birth.
Can dengue be treated?
"While there is no cure for dengue and there are no specific medications for the condition, getting adequate hydration and plenty of rest, and taking acetaminophen for pain and fever can help alleviate symptoms while the body’s immune system fights the virus," according to YaleMedicine.
"In most cases, people recover from dengue within a week. For those with severe dengue, treatment by health care professionals can significantly lower the risk of death."
What are the best mosquito repellents to use?
According to the Florida Department of Health, repellentswith the following active ingredients provide the best protection:
- DEET
- Picaridin
- IR3535
- Oil of lemon eucalyptus
- Para-menthane-diol
- 2-undecanone, a plant-derived ingredient
'Drain and cover' helps keep mosquitoes away
The FDOH offered this advice to help keep mosquitoes away from your Florida home:
Drain
- Drain water from garbage cans, old tires, pool covers, or any other containers where water collects.
- Empty and clean birdbaths and pet water bowls at least once or twice a week.
- Protect boats and vehicles from rain with tarps that don’t accumulate water.
- Maintain swimming pools in good condition and ensure they are appropriately chlorinated.
- Empty plastic swimming pools when not in use.
Cover
- If you must be outside when mosquitoes are active, cover up.
- Apply mosquito repellent to exposed skin and clothing.
- Use mosquito netting to protect children younger than 2 months old.
Mosquito-borne illness alerts, advisories issued for these Florida counties
A mosquito-borne illness advisory has been issued for the following counties as of Sept. 12:
- Alachua
- Brevard
- Leon
- Orange
- Palm Beach
- Pasco
- Walton
A mosquito-borne illness alert has been issued for the following counties:
- Duval
- Hillsborough
- Miami-Dade
- Pinellas
"A mosquito-borne illness advisory means the public should take precautions to reduce mosquito bites due to factors indicating local disease such as positive sentinels, very few presumptive or positive human cases, or other justifications," according to Sarasota County.
"A mosquito-borne illness alert means that there has been heightened disease activity, a significant increase in vector (disease capable) mosquito populations, or an increase in locally-transmitted human cases.
"Residents should continue to take precautions, but exercise additional caution in preventing mosquito bites."
Cheryl McCloud is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://heraldtribune.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: How worried should Florida residents, visitors be about dengue?
