Tampa Bay Dengue Cases Surge to 65 as Hillsborough Becomes Florida's 59-Case Hotspot
Updated
Updated · FOX 13 Tampa · Sep 4
Tampa Bay Dengue Cases Surge to 65 as Hillsborough Becomes Florida's 59-Case Hotspot
1 articles · Updated · FOX 13 Tampa · Sep 4
Summary
65 locally acquired dengue cases have now been reported across Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties, up sharply from 33 earlier this week and accounting for most of Florida's 73 cases this year through Aug. 29.
59 Hillsborough cases, five Pinellas cases and one Pasco case were identified in the latest state surveillance report, with nearly all typed as DENV-2 spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
14 Hillsborough mosquito pools have tested positive for DENV-2, including four in the latest reporting week, prompting aerial and ground spraying, daytime fogging and door-to-door inspections across the region.
Florida health officials said more cases are expected and kept Hillsborough, Miami-Dade and Pinellas under mosquito-borne illness alerts, while urging residents to use repellent, cover skin and remove standing water.
With a dangerous dengue strain spreading locally, could the arrival of a new serotype trigger a much deadlier outbreak across Florida?
Since traditional spraying struggles against these specific mosquitoes, what hidden yard hazards are secretly fueling Tampa's unprecedented dengue surge?
Are cutting-edge genetic mosquito modifications the only real hope for stopping Florida's rising local dengue threat before it spirals out of control?