Florida Confirms a Death From Dengue as the State Struggles with One of Its Worst Recent Outbreaks
Florida has recorded 152 locally acquired dengue cases this year, and workers are spraying and checking standing water as infections ease.
- On Friday, the Florida Department of Health confirmed the state's first dengue fever death of 2026, involving 80-year-old Gay Small, who died of "dengue infection," "septic shock," and "multi-organ failure" at Tampa General Hospital in Hillsborough County.
- Hillsborough County has become the epicenter of an unprecedented dengue surge, recording 134 of the 152 locally acquired infections reported in Florida this summer, a dramatic shift from the county's typical handful of annual cases.
- Doctors at Tampa General Hospital have treated more than 100 dengue patients, with chief hospital epidemiology officer Dr. Kartik Cherabuddi noting the intense body aches known as "break-bone fever" frequently drive patients to emergency rooms.
- Hillsborough County Mosquito Management Services is deploying trucks and helicopters to eliminate disease vectors, while senior environmental scientist Paolo Pecora urged residents to drain standing water on their properties to disrupt breeding cycles.
- Climate change and warmer temperatures are expanding mosquito ranges, with University of Florida associate professor Michael von Fricken suggesting these outbreaks could become the "new normal" for the state's recurring dengue threat.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Florida confirms a death from dengue as the state struggles with one o
FILE - This 2006 photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a female Aedes aegypti mosquito in the process of acquiring a blood meal from a human host. (James Gathany/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP, File)
Florida confirms a death from dengue as the state struggles with one of its worst recent outbreaks – WTOP News
NEW YORK (AP) — Florida is experiencing one of its worst surges of dengue fever in decades, and the toll now includes a death. The Florida Department of Health confirmed the death Friday, though it didn’t provide further details. It’s one of more than 130 locally acquired dengue cases reported so far this year in Hillsborough County, which typically sees only a handful. “This is wildly unusual for us,” said Chris Wilkerson, a spokesperson for th…
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