Floridians are still feeling the ripple effects of extreme rainfall from Hurricanes Milton and Helene. In a concerning development, Fox Weather reported that the Tampa area is now contending with the spread of the mosquito-borne illness dengue fever.
What's happening?
Back-to-back Hurricanes Helene and Milton flooded rivers in west-central Florida and left ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed — in or near standing water that formed after Milton's Oct. 9 landfall.
Since then, the Hillsborough County Department of Health has announced four cases of locally acquired dengue fever, per Fox Weather.
In Florida, there are over 50 confirmed cases. On the positive side, most people who get dengue are asymptomatic, per the World Health Organization.
For those who aren't, dengue fever typically starts with mild symptoms like a headache. However, it can quickly escalate to severe joint pain, University of South Florida infectious disease professor Dr. John Sinnott told Fox 13 Tampa Bay.
"I've seen patients with this, and their pain is remarkable," Sinnott said.
Why is the spread of dengue fever concerning?
The dengue fever spread is worrying because it is increasing worldwide as conditions become more suitable for it.
Rising temperatures globally and in the oceans set the stage for extreme flooding events that allow mosquitoes to prosper in places that aren't traditionally staging areas for dengue.
The Americas, in general, are experiencing a nearly 400% surge in the disease. A cautionary tale is in Puerto Rico, where the population faced much more severe symptoms after getting infected a second or third time. Brazil also experienced a major surge in 2024, with a quadrupling of cases in January on a year-to-year basis, per the BBC.
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Scientists in Europe are also sounding the alarm about its spread to the continent.
What's being done about the spread of dengue fever?
According to Fox Weather, the Hillsborough County Public Works department has countered by continuing to pump flood water out of the region and spraying aerially to reduce the spread. They're also imploring residents to drain or cover standing water.
On a personal level, using Environmental Protection Agency-approved insect repellents is one step consumers can take. Disposing of any standing water is another responsible move, as is wearing long sleeves and shoring up screens and windows.
Zooming out, lowering our contributions to warming the planet by reducing pollution from dirty energy can assist with making conditions less favorable to dengue outbreaks over time.
There's strong evidence humans are making storms like Hurricane Helene more severe by burning fuels like oil and gas, which release planet-warming pollution — as well as setting the stage for once-rare flooding events like we saw in the Northeast.
Switching to more energy-efficient appliances and opting for less polluting modes of transportation, such as using public transit when possible, can help.
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