Tropical disease spread by mosquitoes claims first recorded death in southern US state

Florida recorded its first confirmed dengue fever death of 2026 earlier this month, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Gay Small of Hillsborough County died on Sept. 4 — her 80th birthday — from complications of a dengue infection, including septic shock and multi-organ failure, after she was bitten by a mosquito near her home on Bayshore Boulevard, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

“Cheated, just, you know, it’s so unfair because she was in good health, and she worked hard to stay healthy, and she walked, and she ate right and you know, all the things that you’re supposed to do,” Small’s daughter, Anna Small, told Tampa’s WFLA Channel 8.

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“And you know, this virus just kind of comes out of nowhere. She met the wrong mosquito, and that’s it,” Anna Small said.

Small’s family said they believe Gay Small first caught dengue years ago while traveling abroad but didn’t know it. People who have had dengue before are much more likely to develop severe symptoms.

“While in the hospital, Small said her mother was weak, her hands turned red, and she had trembles that she could hear in her voice,” reported WFLA. “She had to go into the ICU by the middle of the week.”

Small’s late husband, Bob Small, spent his career working on dengue vaccines, according to the couple’s daughter.

The Florida Department of Health confirmed the death Friday after completing its investigation, but did not release additional information, WFLA reported.

The Times, citing University of South Florida public-health instructor Kristi Miley, reported that a dengue death had not been recorded in the Tampa Bay area in nearly a century.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral illness that can cause fever, severe aches, nausea, rash and, in rare cases, life-threatening complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The virus is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, including Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific islands, Latin America and Africa. Though less common in the continental U.S., locally acquired cases have been recorded in Florida, California and Texas.

Florida mosquito-control agencies have stepped up surveillance, inspections and spraying, as locally acquired dengue fever cases — which means people contracted the illness where they live rather than while traveling abroad — have climbed in recent weeks.

The Times reported that since July, Florida “has been experiencing an unprecedented outbreak of locally caught cases.” Hillsborough County, where Small lived, “has been at the epicenter of the epidemic.”

Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are under mosquito-borne illness alerts issued by the Florida Department of Health.

“Dengue does not stop at county lines,” Pinellas County Mosquito Control Director Alissa Berro told Fox 13.

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“The mosquitoes that transmit the virus generally stay within a relatively small area, but people travel throughout the Tampa Bay area every day,” he said.

“When someone infected with dengue enters a new area, a local mosquito can bite that person and later spread the virus to others. As cases rise across the region, so does the potential for additional local transmission.”

In addition to increasing aerial and ground treatments in areas showing dengue virus activity, Hillsborough County Mosquito Management Services has also been inspecting private properties for potential mosquito breeding sites, according to local reports.

The increased application of insecticide and larvicide by helicopters appears to be working, the Times reported, as, “Of the last 1,500 mosquitoes they’ve sent for testing, all have returned negative for dengue.”

The Florida Mosquito Control Association (FMCA) is urging residents to empty or cover standing water around their homes. The mosquito that spreads dengue is a container breeder, meaning it lays eggs in buckets, planters, plant saucers, tires, discarded toys and other objects that collect small amounts of water, experts say.

The FMCA also advises people to follow what it calls the “three Ds.”

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• Dress in long sleeves, light colors and closed-toed shoes outdoors.
• Defend with a repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
• Dump standing water from containers around the home, and check yards regularly.

Many people infected with dengue have no symptoms, and most people who do become sick recover within a week or two, according to Mayo Clinic. In some cases, however, the illness can progress to severe dengue, a potentially life-threatening condition.

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Warning signs can develop quickly, often within a day or two after the fever subsides. Those may include severe stomach pain, repeated vomiting, unusual bleeding or bruising, difficulty breathing, extreme tiredness and irritability, or restlessness. People experiencing warning signs of severe dengue should seek immediate medical care.