Dengue outbreak: Tampa Bay counties extend emergency measures

Hillsborough County extended its state of emergency for dengue through Nov. 5 as weekly case counts in the Tampa Bay region held steady at elevated levels. The declaration allows county administrators and emergency managers to take rapid actions to protect public health and provides a mechanism for reimbursing specific expenses.

State data released Thursday shows Hillsborough recorded 39 new locally acquired infections during the week of Oct. 18-24. That figure brings the county's total for the 2026 season to 385. Pinellas County reported 16 additional cases, raising its annual total to 67. Combined, the two counties accounted for 55 of the 60 new locally acquired cases reported across Florida that week.

The steady weekly increase follows a period of fluctuating numbers. In the previous week, Hillsborough added 36 cases and Pinellas added 14. The current statewide total of 485 cases marks the largest dengue outbreak in the United States in decades. Florida reported 199 cases in 2023 and 62 in 2025.

Manatee County identified its second local case of the year. Case counts in Pasco and Polk counties remained unchanged from the previous report. Seminole County recorded its first two local infections this year. Orange and Citrus counties also reported new cases. Sarasota County remains free of local transmission, although a 63-year-old North Port resident was hospitalized after contracting the virus. Records indicate she attended an event in Tampa one week before symptoms appeared.

Hillsborough mosquito management crews have increased air and ground insecticide spraying in response to surveillance data showing the virus circulating in local mosquito populations. Workers are also inspecting neighborhoods for standing water and educating residents on bite prevention. The disease is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, which are common in Florida. A female mosquito acquires the virus by biting an infected human and passes it to another person during a subsequent bite.

Travel-related cases continue to contribute to the state total. The database added 35 international-travel dengue cases during the week of Oct. 18-24, bringing the yearly total to 355. The vast majority of these travel-linked infections occurred in Miami-Dade County. As of Oct. 24, mosquito-borne illness alerts are active in eight counties, including Hillsborough and Pinellas, while advisories are in place in ten others.