Florida Department of Health is reminding Floridians that mosquitoes can carry disease.   Practice mosquito bite prevention and control to prevent the spread of these illnesses.

The latest Florida Department of Health (FDOH) reported 152 cases of locally acquired dengue fever in 2026, with 134 in Hillsborough County.  In addition, the state has documented 186 cases of travel-related dengue fever.

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease related to the viruses that cause West Nile and yellow fever.

According to FDOH, dengue fever can be a painful, debilitating disease but is rarely fatal.

Several cases are reported in Florida each year in people traveling to areas where the disease is present. These imported cases are usually from dengue endemic regions such as the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Asia.

The close proximity of areas with dengue such as Puerto Rico and frequent international travel in Florida residents makes it possible to have dengue re-introduced.

Symptoms appear 3-14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito and include sudden onset of fever, severe headache, eye pain, muscle and joint pain (giving the disease the nickname “breakbone fever”), and bleeding. Gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea may also be present in some cases.

Dengue fever symptoms usually lasts 4-7 days. The disease is often diagnosed incorrectly because the symptoms are similar to influenza and other viruses.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a rare but more severe form of dengue infection that can be fatal if not recognized and treated with supportive care.

It is important to note that a person can be infected with chikungunya and dengue viruses at the same time as they are both carried by the same types of mosquitoes. Therefore, it is important that providers consider both dengue fever and chikungunya when evaluating suspect cases with travel to areas where both viruses are present.

Testing is the only way for a health care provider to definitively differentiate chikungunya and dengue fever.

There is no treatment for dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever, but quick recognition and management of symptoms and complications is effective at preventing deaths.

Tips to prevent mosquito bites include:

• Use screens on windows and doors.
• Mosquitoes lay eggs in standing water. At least once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover or throw out items that hold water such as tires, buckets, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers or trash containers.
• Wear long sleeves and pants and use EPA-registered insect repellent when going outdoors.