Orange County Mosquito Control is working to stop the spread of dengue in the area, while Hillsborough County is dealing with record-breaking caseloads.
On Friday, the Florida Department of Health elevated its mosquito-borne illness advisory in Orange County to an “alert,” after confirming two more dengue patients. That’s the first time the FDOH has issued a mosquito-borne illness alert in Orange since 2011, when it was due to West Nile virus.
According to Orange County Mosquito Control, two patients were identified in Apopka. Earlier this month, the Department of Health was notified of a patient in Pine Hills. In August, Orange County Mosquito Control also observed the presence of West Nile virus in the area and issued an advisory.
Locally acquired dengue case numbers are unusual. The disease is not endemic to Central Florida, which is why the director of Orange County Mosquito Control, Steve Harrison, is concerned.
“Normally, you see this kind of level, a higher level of locally acquired dengue, in South Florida, but it's rare to see it in Central Florida, especially in Hillsborough,” he said.
On Friday, Hillsborough County reported 120 locally acquired cases — a record for the county. In total, Florida is reporting 152 cases — the second-highest total so far of Florida-acquired dengue in the state.
The worst year was 2023. That year saw 176 cases, with the majority coming out of Miami-Dade County.
Last week in Hillsborough County, the FDOH confirmed the dengue-related death of an 80-year-old woman, according to The Associated Press. The agency has not posted a public statement.
It issues weekly surveillance reports on Fridays.
Why is it serious?
Dengue is not native to Central Florida. It can emerge after someone visits or returns from another country where the virus is endemic. If someone has the virus and is bitten by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, then the mosquito can carry it into its offspring or deliver the virus to another human.
Dengue can present itself with mild symptoms. Some people might not ever know that they are infected. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three out of four people could be asymptomatic. That makes tracking virus case counts difficult, Harrison said.
However, dengue can also be very painful, causing pain behind the eyes, muscle and bone aches, earning it the name “break-bone fever.”
Other symptoms include nausea, bleeding of the gums, rapid breathing, severe abdominal pain, and a fever of 104 degrees. In the worst cases, it can be fatal.
Why now?
Aedes aegypti does well in tropical weather and can be active during and after the rainy season. Although Florida is in a drought, Central Florida has received a lot of rain in recent weeks, which has the mosquito population buzzing louder in Orange County.
“Our trap counts last week were about 23,000, and the week before that, they were 13,000,” Harrison said.
Currently, mosquito control is going through Apopka and Pine Hills, checking for standing water outside homes. Aedes aegypti can lay eggs in a tiny volume of water, such as a bottle cap, Harrison said.
“Residents can really help us by getting rid of any standing water on their property, taking five minutes a week, going out on a Saturday, policing the property, making sure all standing water is dumped out,” he said. “If you have a bird bath, wash it out at least weekly; any pet watering dishes, dump them out.”
In the meantime, the team is also conducting sweeps, releasing an EPA-approved pesticide for adult mosquitoes.
“Our primary objective in these control measures is to eradicate any mosquitoes that may have bitten a person while they were sick, and we want to control any larvae so they don't emerge as adults and bite somebody who could be sick.”
The operation is a two-week process. Mosquito Control recommends Apopka and Pine Hills residents wear long sleeves, long pants, and use EPA-registered repellent. West Nile-transmitting mosquitoes are active at night, and Aedes aegypti are active during the day.
Harrison doesn’t think the Orange County alert is a cause for panic, but the numbers in Hillsborough do concern him.
“I guess if anything for us, it is a way to be reminded to not let our guard down, keep everlastingly at it, and let's prevent any further local transmission.”
