Florida counties declare emergency over dengue fever outbreak
Several Florida counties, including Hillsborough, have declared a local state of emergency after a rise in dengue fever cases. Authorities are ramping up mosquito control efforts while seeking state and federal aid.
Several counties in Florida have declared local states of emergency in response to a rise in dengue fever cases, a mosquito-borne illness typically found outside the United States, mostly in tropical regions.
Hillsborough county, home to the city of Tampa, made its declaration on 24 September after health authorities confirmed 134 cases. Officials said the spread of the disease poses an immediate and widespread threat to the health, safety and welfare of residents and visitors.
Officials noted that controlling the illness, sometimes called breakbone fever due to the severe pain it can cause, requires immediate, aggressive and continuous measures, including pesticide application, public education campaigns and emergency resource planning.
Situation spreading
Neighboring Pasco and Pinellas counties have issued similar emergency declarations. Hillsborough's initial order took effect for one week but can be extended. The declaration allows the county to request available state, federal and local emergency funds, grants and mutual aid in its fight against disease-carrying mosquitoes.
According to Florida's health department, 26 internationally acquired dengue cases and 38 locally acquired cases were reported during a six-day period beginning 13 September. Since the start of the year, Florida has recorded a total of 212 travel-related and 190 locally acquired dengue cases. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a slightly different figure, noting 392 cases statewide so far this year.
The disease is spread through bites from Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, both present in Florida. Symptoms — sudden fever, severe headache, eye pain, muscle and joint pain, and bleeding — appear between three days and two weeks after a bite and typically last four days to a week. A rarer, more severe form called dengue hemorrhagic fever can be fatal without proper supportive care.
Similar cases have emerged elsewhere in recent years: in 2023, Long Beach and Pasadena in California reported their first known locally acquired cases, and dengue-carrying mosquitoes have recently been found in homes in east London. Scientists have linked the disease's spread to global warming. Hillsborough officials expressed cautious optimism, noting that recent mosquito test samples have come back negative.
