Dengue

The Florida Department of Health said Hillsborough County has had 59 locally acquired dengue infections that have been reported to date. Here's how health officials suggest you protect yourself.

Noting that "dengue does not stop at county lines," Pinellas' mosquito control said it was expanding its response by focusing ground inspections and dawn fogging in the Palm Harbor and St. Petersburg areas.

Five mosquito pools tested positive for the disease in Hillsborough, which added seven cases over the past week. And there was third case in Pinellas after going 15 years without one.

Health alerts are in effect for several counties in Florida as officials monitor mosquito-borne illnesses after heavy rainfall.

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.

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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.