The Tampa Bay Times reported the death of an elderly woman on Sept. 8, 2026. Her family says local doctors attributed her death to dengue fever, although the Florida Department of Health has not yet confirmed that.

This death was likely part of a larger dengue outbreak in Hillsborough County, where there have been 95 documented cases of dengue since July 2026. In August, the Hillsborough County Health Department issued a mosquito-borne illness alert due to reports of multiple locally acquired cases.

This cluster of locally spread cases is a stark reminder that a disease which most Americans associate with faraway tropical vacations is increasingly being caught at home.

Dengue is often called “breakbone fever,” and the nickname is earned. People who get sick typically develop a sudden high fever along with a pounding headache, pain behind the eyes and deep aches in the muscles, joints and bones. Many also feel nauseated, throw up or break out in a blotchy rash a few days in.

As an infectious diseases physician and tropical medicine specialist who directs a travel clinic, I see how easily dengue slips past both patients and doctors. In parts of the U.S. where the disease is still uncommon, it is easily mistaken for the flu or COVID-19, and that delay can be dangerous.

Dengue is not passed from person to person like a cold. It spreads through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, mainly Aedes aegypti, a species commonly found in Florida. These mosquitoes thrive in warm cities and can........

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