Hillsborough reports an 'unusual increase' in dengue cases. Here's how to protect yourself

Hillsborough County is experiencing an "unusual increase" in locally acquired dengue fever cases, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The state agency said there have been 59 dengue infections reported in Hillsborough to date. This news comes as health officials came together on Friday to remind Floridians to take precautions against the disease ahead of Labor Day weekend.

Dengue is a viral illness that's transmitted from the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. It presents as a flu-like illness. It's characterized by severe muscle aches, joint pain, fever and occasionally rashes. The fever is not contagious, and there's usually no respiratory complications. Symptoms usually start within 15 days of a mosquito bite.

The mosquitoes can breed in small amounts of standing water around homes and businesses. They don't need a large amount of water to reproduce — even a bottle cap worth of standing water can be enough for them to breed.

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Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said during a press conference Friday that they've seen an increase in locally acquired cases in other areas in the state besides Hillsborough, but that the county is really the "epicenter of it."

"It's important for Floridians to know that there are actions that we can take to help reduce the propagation of these terrible, just annoying mosquitoes," Ladapo said.

There are three simple steps Floridians can take to help prevent getting bitten: Spray, cover and drain.

The department recommends you use an EPA-registered insect repellent to spray over yourself and follow the directions on the label. You'll want to look for repellent with these active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol or 2-undecanone.

It is also recommended that, when possible, you wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and long pants while outside. And to be sure to walk around your home and remove any standing water to prevent breeding.

It is also suggested that you use screens on windows and doors and use air conditioning if possible.

Overall, the state Department of Health is working with local partners to monitor activity in Hillsborough and support mosquito control efforts.

For instance, the administrator and health officer for the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County, Dr. Carla Fry, said they've been doing outreach efforts where they've visited almost 4,000 residents and almost 400 businesses to educate them about the issue. They've taken materials like repellent to them, discussed drain and cover methods and more.

"Our Environmental Public Health team is going to the tire shops," Fry explained. "They're working around standing water, right? So we had to make sure that they're protected themselves and also providing them with little pieces of material called dunks that we can throw into that water and kill the mosquitoes. So we're spreading all that stuff around the neighborhoods."

They've also had a partnership with mosquito management.

"They are innovative. They're creative, and they're quick," Fry said. "So what they're doing right now is they're sharing real-time data and information from the time we identify a case and a location. That gets to his [mosquito management] team and his team goes out and treats."

A few other partners include the University of South Florida for subject matter expertise and Tampa General Hospital.

"They're also catching those cases that might otherwise go undetected. So when they call us, our team jumps into surveillance mode and into investigation mode. They very quickly find out where has that person been, where do they work, where have they contracted this illness," Fry said.

In addition to Hillsborough County, WUSF previously reported how Pinellas County's mosquito control said it was expanding its response by focusing ground inspections and dawn fogging in the Palm Harbor and St. Petersburg areas.

You can learn more about mosquito bite prevention on the Florida Department of Health's website.