Hillsborough County Declares Dengue Emergency as Local Cases Top 170

Hillsborough County is now under a state of local emergency over dengue fever, after locally acquired cases climbed to roughly 170 this year. County Administrator Bonnie Wise signed the executive order Sept. 24, giving emergency managers faster authority to fight the county's mosquito population and opening the door to federal reimbursement for the response.

The order relies on the county's Emergency Management Ordinance and Chapter 252 of the Florida Statutes. By law, it lasts only seven days unless county officials extend it, but it takes effect immediately and lets the county move on mosquito control and public health steps without the usual bureaucratic lag.

Pinellas and Pasco counties declared their own emergencies the same week, as the outbreak has spread across the Tampa Bay region. But Hillsborough is where it hit hardest. Health officials say the county has accounted for roughly 90% of all locally acquired dengue cases reported statewide this year, prompting state Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo to call it the "epicenter" of an unusual summer surge.

What's driving the surge

Dengue spreads through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquito, both common in Florida. Unlike travel-related dengue, which shows up in people who caught the virus overseas, these are locally acquired infections, meaning people are getting bitten by infected mosquitoes right here in the county.

The disease brings flu-like symptoms: fever, severe muscle aches, joint pain and sometimes a rash, usually within 15 days of a bite. It isn't contagious between people, and most cases don't involve respiratory symptoms, but severe cases often require hospitalization.

Dengue rarely kills in the United States. That changed this month. Health officials confirmed dengue as the cause of death for an 80-year-old Tampa woman, identified in local reporting as Gay Small, marking Florida's first recorded dengue fatality in nearly a century.

Spraying across the county

Hillsborough County Mosquito Management has been running near-nightly treatments for weeks, both by air and on the ground. Recent aerial operations have covered West Tampa, South Tampa, Davis Islands, Ybor City, Seminole Heights, East Tampa, Riverview, Bloomingdale and Town 'N Country, using the insecticide Dibrom to target adult mosquitoes. The county has also brought in outside help. Under a mutual-aid agreement, Pasco and Manatee counties have been supplying additional aircraft and crews to expand the treatment area faster than Hillsborough's own fleet could manage alone.

Residents can sign up through the county's website to get notified before aerial treatments happen in their neighborhood, and there's an online map showing where spraying has already occurred. Anyone with questions about the outbreak or the spraying schedule can call Hillsborough County Mosquito Management Services at (813) 635-5400.

What happens next

Because the emergency order expires after seven days unless extended, county commissioners are expected to revisit the declaration before the end of the month depending on how case counts trend. The Florida Department of Health issues updated dengue figures for Hillsborough weekly, and county officials have said undercounts are likely since many mild infections go untested.

For now, the message from mosquito control crews is simple: expect more nighttime spraying in the coming weeks, and don't wait for a notice to start draining standing water in your own yard.

Stay connected with more Tampa updates at Tampa Community Website, and follow along on Facebook and Instagram. Have a question about mosquito treatments in your neighborhood or your own dengue precautions? Join the conversation in our Community Forum, and check out more public safety stories and healthcare coverage from around Hillsborough County.

Header photo: Photo: Jimmy Chan (Pexels)