Florida’s dengue outbreak has moved beyond the more than 250 locally acquired cases. State surveillance figures reported by WUSF put the 2026 total at 368, with Hillsborough County still the center of transmission and neighboring Pinellas County recording a sharp increase.
Hillsborough and Pinellas extended their local dengue emergencies through Oct. 22, according to WUSF’s Oct. 15 report. Crews are conducting ground and aerial mosquito-control operations, while Tampa officials have gone door to door in affected neighborhoods. For travelers, this is a local mosquito-exposure problem, not simply a count of infections brought home from overseas.
Where Florida’s dengue cases are concentrated
The Florida Department of Health surveillance report covering Oct. 4-10 recorded 72 new locally acquired infections statewide, according to WUSF. Hillsborough added 51 cases, bringing its total since July to 310. Pinellas added 17, increasing its count from 20 to 37. Pasco added one and had four.
More than 350 of Florida’s locally acquired cases were in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Polk counties, WUSF reported. That concentration matters when assessing a trip: the reported outbreak is centered in the Tampa Bay region, rather than distributed evenly across Florida. Health officials also cautioned that the actual number of infections is likely higher because many infected people have no symptoms and never get tested…