Floridians are coming down with a tropical mosquito-borne fever at a record rate since the illness’ return to the state in 2009.
Almost 4 billion people live in areas where they are at risk of dengue fever — but Americans are generally considered to be at largest risk of travel-associated cases. In 2026, however, Florida has seen an increase in locally contracted cases of dengue fever.
At the time of reporting, the Center for Disease Control had documented 598 of just over 1,000 dengue fever cases in Florida in 2026 to be locally transmitted, rather than acquired while traveling…