Health officials just dropped a bombshell about one disease spreading in Florida that has everyone on high alert

The Sunshine State just got a nasty wake-up call about a dangerous disease that’s making its way back to American soil.

Florida health officials are scrambling to contain what could become a serious public health crisis as cases mount.

And health officials just dropped a bombshell about one disease spreading in Florida that has everyone on high alert.

Dengue Fever Cases Surge Across Florida Counties

Florida health authorities confirmed what many experts feared was coming – dengue fever has officially returned to the state with six locally-acquired cases now documented across two counties.¹

State health data shows that prior to the most recent Brevard County confirmations, dengue cases this year had been limited to just two Florida counties.

The latest count shows four confirmed cases in Brevard County and two in Miami-Dade County.

Six cases of locally acquired dengue have been reported in Florida this year, with four in Brevard County and two in Miami-Dade County.²

The Brevard County Department of Health issued an emergency advisory after confirming their four cases, while Miami-Dade County reported their two cases earlier in the year.³

This represents more than just isolated incidents – it’s evidence that dengue-carrying mosquitoes have established themselves in Florida communities and are successfully transmitting the disease to residents.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Summer’s peak mosquito season provides the perfect breeding conditions for the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry dengue, and these particular blood-suckers don’t follow the typical dusk-to-dawn feeding pattern that most people expect.

“These mosquitoes actually will bite during the day,” warned Dr. Kristi Miley, a research associate at the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health who has conducted extensive dengue research.⁴

Florida’s Dengue Problem Is Getting Worse Fast

The numbers tell a story that should have every Florida resident paying attention. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Florida saw 91 locally acquired cases in 2024.⁵

Dr. Miley’s research shows the trend is accelerating rapidly. In the last five years, “It’s more than quadrupled in the locally acquired cases,” she said.⁶

That’s not a typo. We’re talking about a 400% increase in dengue cases that originated right here in Florida, not from international travel.

Florida health records show that dengue transmission was eliminated from the state for decades. No locally-acquired cases were documented between 1934 and 2009.

The disease returned to Key West in 2009-2010, with health officials identifying 22 people with dengue fever during the summer and fall of 2009. The following year brought 66 locally-acquired cases linked to the Key West area.⁷

A Martin County outbreak followed in 2013, and Key Largo saw transmission detected in 2020.⁸

Now Brevard and Miami-Dade counties are dealing with active cases, proving that dengue isn’t just a South Florida problem anymore – it’s spreading up the peninsula.

Health officials say dengue symptoms can mimic flu with “severe muscle aches and joint pain, fever, and sometimes a rash.” The CDC reports that symptoms typically last two to seven days, with most patients recovering within a week.⁹

Most people who get infected will recover after about a week of misery, but here’s where things get genuinely terrifying: about one in 20 people who contract dengue will develop severe dengue, which can result in shock, internal bleeding, and death.¹⁰

Brevard County Fights Back With Tiny Fish Army

Brevard County officials aren’t sitting around waiting for this crisis to get worse.

They’ve deployed what might be the most creative weapon in their anti-mosquito arsenal: an army of mosquitofish.

These small freshwater fish have one job – eat mosquito larvae.

And they’re remarkably good at it, with each fish capable of devouring up to 100 mosquito larvae per day.¹¹

“If we release enough of these, we don’t have to do any treatment,” explained Jonathan Linder, environmental section supervisor for Brevard County Mosquito Control. “That’s a big savings to us.”¹²

The county operates six 225-gallon tanks filled with thousands of these mosquito-eating machines at their Cocoa facility.

Residents can actually request free mosquitofish for their ponds and water features – taxpayers have already funded the program as a cheaper, chemical-free alternative to traditional mosquito control methods.

But the fish are just one component of Brevard’s comprehensive mosquito warfare strategy.

The county also deploys sentinel chickens, chemical treatments, spray trucks, drones, helicopters, and airplanes in their battle against disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Using drones, they drop bacteria that specifically targets mosquito larvae while leaving other wildlife unharmed.

The challenge has intensified significantly in recent years. What used to be seasonal mosquito control has become a year-round operation.

“We’re having healthy mosquito populations year round,” Linder noted.¹³

That’s a polite way of saying mosquitoes are now thriving in Florida 365 days a year, creating constant opportunities for disease transmission.

The Threat Isn’t Going Away

Florida health officials are being blunt about the reality residents face.

The mosquitoes carrying dengue – primarily Aedes aegypti but also Aedes albopictus – are well-established in the state and aren’t disappearing anytime soon.¹⁴

Both species are perfectly adapted to Florida’s climate and have proven capable of sustaining disease transmission cycles within local communities.

The warning signs for severe dengue should have every Floridian on alert: belly pain or tenderness, vomiting three or more times in 24 hours, bleeding from the nose or gums, vomiting blood, blood in stool, or feeling extremely tired or restless.¹⁵

If you or a family member experiences any of these symptoms, health officials stress getting to an emergency room immediately.

Prevention requires eliminating mosquito breeding grounds, which can develop in surprisingly small water sources.

Mosquitoes can successfully reproduce in as little as one teaspoon of standing water left undisturbed for a week.¹⁶

This means checking your property weekly for any containers that might hold water – buckets, toys, pool covers, birdbaths, trash containers, boat covers, roof gutters, pet dishes, and tires all provide perfect mosquito nurseries.

The question isn’t whether dengue will continue spreading in Florida – it’s how fast, and whether state and local authorities can mount an effective response before this relatively contained outbreak becomes something much worse.

For now, Florida residents in affected counties are living with a new reality: a potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease is circulating in their communities, and the mosquitoes carrying it are active during daylight hours when people are most likely to be outdoors.

¹ Cheryl McCloud, “Florida Department of Health reports cases of dengue. What are the symptoms?,” USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida, July 30, 2025.

² Ibid.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Hayley Crombleholme, “Brevard County confirms four cases of locally-acquired Dengue,” WESH 2, July 30, 2025.

⁵ Ibid.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ McCloud, “Florida Department of Health reports cases of dengue.”

⁸ Jim Waymer, “It’s called the mosquitofish and it’s here to combat Space Coast skeeters,” Florida Today, July 30, 2025.

⁹ Amber Jo Cooper, “Four confirmed cases of dengue found in Brevard County,” Florida News, July 30, 2025.

¹⁰ McCloud, “Florida Department of Health reports cases of dengue.”

¹¹ Jim Waymer, “It’s called the mosquitofish and it’s here to combat Space Coast skeeters,” Florida Today, July 30, 2025.

¹² Ibid.

¹³ Ibid.

¹⁴ McCloud, “Florida Department of Health reports cases of dengue.”

¹⁵ Ibid.

¹⁶ Ibid.