Dengue activity is still being observed in Hillsborough County, but for the first time in several weeks the number of cases reported to the state showed a significant decrease.
The latest update on the state’s arbovirus surveillance webpage shows the county reporting 22 new cases over the week of Oct. 25-31.
It was the first weekly increase under 25 cases since a local state of emergency was issued Sept. 24 and the lowest total reported since 16 cases were recorded during the week ending Aug. 16.
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Since the onset of the disease in July, Hillsborough has had 407 confirmed cases.
The county acknowledges there is still work to be done.
On Thursday, County Administrator Bonnie Wise extended the emergency order through Nov. 12. The order was first issued on Sept. 24. A state of local emergency can be in effect for only seven days, unless rescinded or extended.
According to the county, mosquito management crews are still increasing treatments by air and ground because mosquito surveillance in many neighborhoods shows dengue virus activity in the mosquito population. The county is working closely with the health department to educate residents and treat affected areas.
One designated hotspot is a populated area northeast of downtown Tampa, officials said.
Across the bay, Pinellas County reported 13 additional cases for a total of 80. Pinellas’ first cases were recorded in early August, but the number did not rapidly increase until mid-September.
The county also issued a local state of emergency on Sept. 24.
Pinellas County Mosquito Control said it also is conducting aerial treatments targeting mosquito larvae, most recently in St. Petersburg and Clearwater.
Hillsborough and Pinellas made up nearly all of the 39 new infections in the weekly state update. Three were confirmed in Miami-Dade and one in Orange. Since the onset in July, Florida has recorded 524 cases.
Health experts advise these numbers are likely undercounts. Symptoms don’t usually begin until about two weeks after being bitten by an infect mosquito. Many infected people don’t even get sick.
The virus is spread by Aedes mosquitoes, a species common in Florida. Transmission typically occurs when a female acquires the virus while biting an infected human, then passes it to another person through a subsequent bite.
The Florida outbreak is the largest in the United States in decades. Previously, the most Florida cases were 199 in 2023. Last year, the state reported 62 cases.
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Contributing to the problem: cases associated with travel to regions of the world where the disease is endemic. The state database added 27 cases of international-travel dengue during the week of Oct. 25-31 and 382 for the year. The vast majority were in Miami-Dade.
Florida tends to get a lot of dengue in part because the state receives a lot of travelers who have been to Puerto Rico or other places where the disease is present, experts said.
People with dengue can feel as though they have the flu, with severe muscle aches, headaches, joint pain, fever and occasional rashes. Hospitalizations are common for severe cases, which may cause bleeding, shock or even death.
Health officials advise residents going outside to apply repellent and wear long pants and sleeves to help prevent mosquito bites.
Sarasota County was placed under mosquito-borne illness advisory, although it has not reported any locally acquired cases during the outbreak. The database shows two associated with travel.
Other advisories as of Oct. 31 are up in Bay, Brevard, Broward, Holmes, Leon, Manatee, Martin, Palm Beach, Polk and Walton. Mosquito-borne illness alerts are in effect in Alachua, Citrus, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Orange, Pasco, Pinellas and Seminole.
An advisory is a warning that mosquito-borne disease activity has been detected and residents should take precautions. An alert generally indicates a greater level of concern, often involving confirmed local human transmission and a more aggressive public health response.
