Elderly Tampa Woman Dies as Florida Faces Its Second-Worst Dengue Outbreak Ever

Florida is going through one of its worst dengue fever outbreaks in many years, and it has now led to a death. The Florida Department of Health confirmed on Friday that an elderly woman from Tampa died on September 4. Her death is one of more than 130 locally acquired dengue cases in Hillsborough County this year. The county normally sees only a small number of dengue cases, making this outbreak very surprising to health officials.

Dengue fever is a sickness caused by a virus that is spread by certain mosquitoes. These mosquitoes prefer warm weather, and experts say they are moving into new areas because of climate change. The recent weather in Florida likely helped the mosquitoes multiply faster than usual. That is why so many people in the Tampa area have been getting sick.

For most of the past several decades, nearly all dengue cases in the U.S. were in travelers who caught the virus abroad. Locally acquired cases were mostly seen in Puerto Rico. That changed in 2009 and 2010, when Key West, Florida, had the first local dengue cases in the continental United States since 1945. This year's total of 152 local cases is already the second highest ever recorded in Florida.

Many people infected with dengue never feel sick, so the real number of infections is likely higher than what gets reported. People who do get sick may have headaches, fever, and flu-like symptoms. In the most serious cases, dengue can cause dangerous bleeding, shock, and death. It is important for people to protect themselves from mosquito bites.

Dengue is also a big problem around the world. The World Health Organization says more than 2.2 million infections have been reported globally so far this year, and nearly 1,200 people have died. In the United States, there have been about 1,500 locally acquired cases this year, with most in Puerto Rico. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is keeping a close watch on the outbreak.

Workers in the Tampa area have been spraying to kill mosquitoes around the clock. They have also been checking yards and properties for standing water, like water sitting in old tires, which is where mosquitoes breed. A senior scientist from Hillsborough County says recent tests show the virus may be disappearing from local mosquitoes. This is a hopeful sign that the outbreak could be winding down.

Outbreaks often start when someone travels to another country, gets infected, and comes back home. A local mosquito can then bite that person and pick up the virus, spreading it to others. A University of Florida professor explained that one case can grow into many very quickly. He warned that because Florida's warm weather is perfect for these mosquitoes, dengue outbreaks will likely keep happening in the future.