Overview
- State surveillance covering onset through Sept. 19 shows 190 locally acquired dengue cases in Florida, with 170 in Hillsborough County and one confirmed death.
- Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties declared local states of emergency on Sept. 23 to fast‑track spraying, property inspections and emergency purchases for mosquito control.
- Mosquito trap samples and lab tests in the Tampa Bay area have recently tested negative and showed no evidence that infected female mosquitoes are passing the virus to their offspring, a result officials called encouraging but not conclusive.
- Health officials say Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which bite during the day and breed in small containers of standing water, are driving transmission and that warm, wet weather plus travel links to dengue‑endemic places likely amplified the outbreak.
- Officials warned reported cases likely undercount true infections because many are asymptomatic and urged residents to dump standing water, use EPA‑registered repellents, and seek urgent care for warning signs of severe dengue.