Why Has Dengue Returned to Florida?

Dengue has returned to Florida, with a large outbreak affecting at least 524 people and one death.

An outbreak that has likely surprised a lot of people…

Why Has Dengue Returned to Florida?

Surprised because they probably don’t know much about dengue!

And that makes this a good time to get caught up.

“The transmission levels to date in 2026 have been the lowest reported since the global surveillance commenced in 2024, with 12.7 million cases and 4.4 million cases reported by the end of August in 2024 and 2025 respectively.”

Global dengue update

Interestingly, global dengue cases are down sharply this year, although that hasn’t helped Florida…

Now, let’s start with how you get dengue.

“The dengue virus is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito.”

Dengue

You can get dengue after being bitten by an infected mosquito.

So that means you need two things to get dengue:

• the dengue virus, and
• a mosquito (typically Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus) that can become infected and transmit the virus

In the continental United States (dengue is endemic in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands), that typically means you need people traveling from an area where dengue is common and bringing it back home with them.

“Dengue is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas.”

Dengue

That’s why dengue cases are regularly reported in nearly all states – cases associated with travel to endemic areas of the world.

But travel associated cases that can only lead to local transmission if the person is bitten by an Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquito while they are still infectious. Even then, though, this infected mosquito would have to bite someone else and get them sick.

That doesn’t usually happen, because, for one thing, not every state has dengue-capable mosquitoes. And even for those that do, you would need several opportunities for transmission, including many people getting exposed to those mosquitoes.

And that’s what has likely happened in Hillsborough County.

A thriving mosquito population, combined with infected travelers returning from dengue-endemic areas, has led to a large outbreak in Hillsborough County and surrounding Tampa-area communities.

“The Centers for Disease Control has said it is sending $800,000 to help fight the problem, but Fry said so far the money has not arrived.”

Amid dengue outbreak, mosquito control experts are wary of a wet winter fueled by El Niño

So how do they get this undercontrol?

Control of this outbreak and the prevention of other outbreaks in the United States are largely going to focus on controlling local mosquito populations.

Those at risk should also:

• protect themselves from mosquito bites
• work to prevent mosquitoes from breeding around their home
• seek treatment if they have any symptoms of dengue

What about a dengue vaccine?

No dengue vaccines are available in the United States.

Dengvaxia was discontinued in 2024 due to low demand, and the application for Qdenga was withdrawn in 2023.

What else?

In 2025, HHS terminated a large Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) grant to Florida. Why is that important? The CDC’s ELC program specifically supports surveillance, laboratory testing, outbreak detection, and the public-health workforce. Its vector-borne disease activities include detecting and responding to dengue and other mosquito-borne infections.

Also, among the 30% of the CDC workforce that has been recently lost have likely been at least some dengue specialists or mosquito-control experts that could have helped control the outbreak in Florida.

Lastly, to help prevent further dengue outbreaks, there should be a close investigation of what happened in Hillsborough County that led to their having a thriving mosquito population that could sustain a dengue outbreak.

More on Dengue

• Dengue
• The History of Dengue Outbreaks in the Americas
• ‘I ached so much’: Man describes bout with dengue fever contracted during Florida’s outbreak
• Global dengue update
• How Florida became the epicenter of localized U.S. dengue cases and what role climate played
• Dengue and Dengue Virus in Florida
• Amid dengue outbreak, mosquito control experts are wary of a wet winter fueled by El Niño
• Cutting Florida property taxes could take a bite out of mosquito control
• Hillsborough County budget savings: Committee proposes $680M in spending cuts
• Dengue response costs surge past $6M in Hillsborough County
• Dumped tires, record deluge fuel dengue threat in Brevard

Last Updated on November 10, 2026