The outbreak has prompted a state of local emergency in Hillsborough County and its neighbors, with workers applying insecticide “day and night” to combat the mosquitoes that transmit the disease.<\/p>\n
If you’re heading to Florida soon or planning a trip, here’s what you should consider.<\/p>\n
What is dengue fever?![\"Path](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/valuehub-article-4-background.jpg\"\/)
ALEXANDR SPATARI<\/p>\n
Dengue, pronounce DEHN-gay and nicknamed “breakbone fever” for the excruciating pain it can cause, is a viral infection spread by mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical climates.<\/p>\n
Most infected individuals experience mild or no symptoms and will recover on their own in a week or two, though they may feel fatigued for several weeks afterward. However, some patients develop severe dengue, which can be life-threatening and requires hospitalization. Individuals who have had dengue in the past are at a higher risk of contracting severe dengue.<\/p>\n
There is currently no cure for dengue; patients are treated with pain management.<\/p>\n
Dengue has spread rapidly in recent decades, in part due to climate change: Rising temperatures extend the mosquito breeding season and accelerate the growth of mosquito larvae. As a result, dengue is spreading to new areas that used to be too chilly for mosquitoes, including parts of Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean.<\/p>\n
According to WHO, 2024 saw a record-breaking dengue year, with over 14.6 million reported cases and 12,000-plus deaths around the globe.<\/p>\n
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By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy<\/a>. You may unsubscribe at any time.<\/p>\n How to protect yourself Some parts of Florida have historically been a dengue risk<\/a>, but the current outbreak increased your chances of catching the virus, especially if you are heading to the Tampa area.<\/p>\n This doesn’t mean you should cancel your plans, but you should be extra cautious.<\/p>\n There is no widely available vaccine<\/a> for dengue. Because the virus is primarily spread by mosquitoes, your best bet is to avoid bites by wearing protective clothing and bug spray while outdoors.<\/p>\n I personally recommend permethrin<\/a>, which you can apply to your clothes before you travel. Once dried, this waterproof bug repellant has no odor or oily feel, and it will stay on through several washes. In mosquito-prone areas, I wear permethrin-treated pants and long sleeves, then apply bug spray to any exposed areas.<\/p>\n What to do if you get sick While visiting Florida, keep an eye out for dengue symptoms, including:<\/p>\n high feversevere headache or pain behind the eyesmuscle and joint painnausea or vomitingswollen glandsrash<\/p>\n If you exhibit these symptoms, there’s a good chance they can be self-managed and will go away in one to two weeks.<\/p>\n However, if you develop symptoms of severe dengue \u2014 which often present after the fever subsides \u2014 you should seek medical attention immediately:<\/p>\n severe abdominal painpersistent vomitingrapid breathingbleeding gums or nosefatiguerestlessnessblood in vomit or stoolextreme thirstcold, pale skinfeeling weak<\/p>\n Dengue is not spread person-to-person, so you don’t have to worry about giving the virus to your travel companions.<\/p>\n Bottom line<\/p>\n Florida draws countless tourists to its beaches, theme parks<\/a> and natural wonders like the Everglades<\/a>. But it’s also home to pesky, disease-carrying mosquitoes \u2014 which are active year-round due to the state’s warm climate.<\/p>\n The current dengue outbreak should not stop you from traveling this winter, but you should take appropriate precautions. Pack the right clothes and bug repellant to protect yourself from mosquitoes, and know the symptoms of dengue in the unlikely event that you need medical attention.<\/p>\n That way, you can travel safely and stress-free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Sunshine State is in the middle of a dengue fever outbreak. Florida health officials recently reported more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":885033,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[97],"class_list":["post-885032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=885032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/885033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=885032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=885032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=885032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Hiker-walking-on-path-in-Bahia-Honda-State-Park-in-the-Florida-Keys_MargaretW.jpg\"\/)
MARGARETW\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n![\"Doctor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Doctor-discussing-with-female-patient-seen-through-doorway-in-clinic_-Maskot.jpg\"\/)
MASKOT\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n