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Gay Small’s death on Sept. 4 is Florida’s first dengue-related fatality in nearly a century, per health officials
Dengue fever, spread by mosquitoes, causes flu-like symptoms and can lead to severe complications in serious cases, per Mayo Clinic
Florida has seen a rise in locally transmitted dengue cases, with outbreaks reported in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties this year
A Florida woman died from dengue fever on her 80th birthday, according to reports.
Gay Small died on Sept. 4 at Tampa General Hospital, the Tampa Bay Times reported, citing her death certificate. The document obtained by the outlet said the illness was transmitted through a mosquito bite, leading to “dengue infection, septic shock and multi-organ failure.”
“So I guess that means the state agrees she died of dengue,” her daughter Anna Small told the outlet.
Small’s death marks the state’s first dengue death in nearly a century, Kristi Miley, who teaches at USF’s College of Public Health, told the Tampa Bay Times.
The Florida Department of Health additionally confirmed the dengue-related death to the Associated Press and USA Today.
“We are reminding all residents and visitors throughout the state to take precautions from mosquito-borne illnesses by appropriately applying insect repellent, avoiding areas with high mosquito populations, draining any standing water, and wearing long pants and shirts when possible – especially during sunrise and sunset, when mosquitoes are most active,” Florida Department of Health spokesperson Claire Maher said in a statement obtained by USA Today.
Dengue fever, transmitted to humans through mosquitoes and typically found in tropical climates outside of the U.S., causes a “high fever and flu-like symptoms” in milder cases, per the Mayo Clinic.
“A more serious form of dengue fever, called dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure and death,” according to the clinic.
The state last saw a major outbreak of dengue 15 years ago, PEOPLE previously reported.
In 2026, eight people in Florida’s Hillsborough County and two in Pinellas County have contracted the mosquito-borne illness, which is not native to Florida, locally. This marked the first time in the latter county that the disease has spread locally in over a decade.
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Most cases of dengue in the U.S. occur in people who contracted the disease — which is spread by the bite of the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito — elsewhere, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said.
State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo issued a statement to Floridians regarding the spread of the disease ahead of Labor Day Weekend on Sept. 4, urging people to “use insect repellent, cover up when possible, and remove standing water” to reduce risk.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Florida Department of Health.
Read the original article on People