Dengue

Eight people in Hillsborough and two in Pinellas recently contracted the mosquito-borne illness locally, officials say. Both counties are under alerts. The disease is not endemic to the Tampa Bay region.

City councilman Bill Carlson says he has a “win-win-win” stadium plan that can benefit Tampa and Rays fans and won’t use sales taxes or increase property taxes.

The Florida Department of Health offices in both counties said they are working with mosquito control agencies to monitor and respond to the cases.

Mosquito control groups are hard at work during the drought, making sure today's low mosquito count doesn't become a population boom.

After the weekend's heavy rains, control teams are working to lessen any mosquito plumes while experts try to piece together why Brevard has seen so many dengue cases this season.

Brevard County is experiencing a dengue outbreak. The state reported 27 cases locally acquired in Brevard. Eleven of those cases were reported last week.

This is the county's first reported case of dengue this year. Officials did not say where in the county the illness was reported, but health department records note it occurred in July.

Locally acquired cases have appeared in Florida and other parts of the U.S. where the disease isn’t endemic. Health officials worry that with climate change and the lack of a vaccine, it will take hold in a larger swath.

There have been above-average numbers in Florida of travel-related cases of the mosquito-borne disease dengue. Now, control groups are working to make sure the disease doesn’t become endemic.

Health experts anticipated 214 dengue travel cases brought into the state from other countries. So far, the count is at 859, about four times the predictions. Here’s what that means for the future.

With Hurricane Helene flooding Pasco’s coastline, and Milton dumping over 15 inches of rain on the county’s interior, officials said the situation was especially inviting for Aedes aegypti.

Symptoms include a high fever, severe headache, eye pain and muscle and joint pain. It is rarely fatal.