September 11, 2026 • 5 mins
The Tampa Bay area, especially Hillsborough County, is facing one of its biggest dengue fever outbreaks in years - with 90 cases reported in Hillsborough alone, along with several in Pinellas and Pasco. How does dengue spread, and how do you know you have it and what should you do if you get it? We get answers from Dr Evelyn Huang, MD, an emergency physician with Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital in St. Petersburg.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. The Tampa Bay area,
especially Hillsborough County, is facing one of its biggest dengue
fever outbreaks in years. According to the latest numbers from
the State Health Department, 90 cases reported in Hillsborough County alone,
along with several in Pinellas and Pasco. New numbers released
Thursday show the statewide total now at 111. So how
(00:23):
does dengue fever spread? How do you know you have
it and what should you do if you get it?
We have Dr. Evelyn Huang, MD. She's with the emergency
department at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, and she's going to
help us answer some of these questions. Dr. Huang, good
morning and welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Good morning. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
All right. First of all, we know that, of course,
that most of us know that dengue fever is transmitted
by mosquitoes. Is it present all the time in Florida
or does it come in from elsewhere? And when people,
when health officials and doctors refer to locally transmitted cases,
what does that mean?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, so that's a good question. So no, it is
not endemic to Florida. The Florida Department of Health does state, though,
that there are several cases each year. It is normally
found in more tropical climates, so places like Central America,
South America, the Caribbean, and Asia. And it usually means
that somebody has traveled to those areas, got bitten by
(01:20):
a mosquito that had dengue fever, came back to Florida,
and then a mosquito then bit them and then transmitted
it to somebody else. So when we say locally acquired
or local transmission, that means that you got it from
somebody else in your home area or community.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Now, if you are bitten by an infected mosquito, are
you always going to develop symptoms of dengue? How does
that work?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
No, not at all. So, you know, the CDC cites
that only one in four people infected with dengue fever
will actually get symptoms. And then of those people that
get sick, only one in 20 will get the severe
dengue or severe symptoms.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Now, if you've had dengue before, and not a few
people in Florida have because they've traveled elsewhere or maybe
have been exposed in previous outbreaks, if you've had dengue before,
are you more or less likely to to face health
problems or show symptoms if you're exposed again?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yeah, so unfortunately, it's more likely. So if you've had
a previous infection with dengue, you have an increased risk
of developing severe dengue fever.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
And is there a reason why that is? Is it
just part of the nature of the disease?
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Yeah, so looking into it a little bit more, I
think it's just your immune system and how it communicates.
And when you've already been exposed to it before, your
body is not as well equipped to fight it again
the second time.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
So it's based on the immune reaction. Exactly. How do
you know when symptoms are serious enough that you need
to go to see a doctor or go to an
emergency room?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yeah, so I get that question a lot of, hey,
why should I go to the emergency room? And I
think that if you are concerned about dengue fever, you
should be seeing a doctor regardless, right? Because there are
implications for you and your loved ones and also your community, right?
So if you have dengue fever, you wanna make sure
you're not giving it to your family or your friends
(03:17):
or the people that live with you, but also the
health department wants to know about it, right? Because then
we can see where it's coming from, where it's spreading, right?
So yes, you should always be seeing a doctor if
you're concerned about dengue fever. In terms of seeing me
in the emergency department, I always tell people, hey, if
you're scared, if you're worried, we wanna see you, right?
(03:37):
Best case scenario, it's not the thing that you were
scared of. So never be afraid to come, we're always open.
In terms of symptoms that I look for as an
ER doctor that are signs of a severe dengue infection
would be things like severe belly pain, vomiting, If somebody
is getting dehydrated and they're not keeping any food or
drink down, if they're having difficulty breathing, if somebody who
(04:01):
has dengue is confused or extra drowsy or not acting
like themselves, that can be really dangerous. And then lastly,
dengue fever can affect how our body builds clots. So
a lot of patients who develop severe dengue will get
bleeding issues. So if you're noticing any bleeding, that's a
severe symptom as well.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
And of course, the main way to avoid dengue fever
is to avoid getting bitten by a mosquito. And if
we could kind of to wrap it up, just a
reminder of the basic precautions that people need to take
to avoid getting bitten. Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
So mosquito spray, right? And then wearing protective clothing. If
you live in a home with a lot of standing
water around it, making sure that we're emptying sources of
standing water, such as, you know, flower pots or you know,
bowls that are outside. You're also, if you're in the home,
making sure you're using mosquito nets on your windows or
your doors. And if you have dengue, making sure that
(04:59):
you are taking all these precautions so that you're not
giving dengue to anybody else.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
And of course, our local officials at the county level
are also taking steps with extra mosquito spraying and extra
spraying targeting mosquitoes and mosquito larvae and the types of
species that spread dengue to keep that and get that
problem under control. Dr. Evelyn Wong with the Emergency Department
at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, thank you very much for
(05:25):
joining us on Beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Thank you so much.
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. The Tampa Bay area,
especially Hillsborough County, is facing one of its biggest dengue
fever outbreaks in years. According to the latest numbers from
the State Health Department, 90 cases reported in Hillsborough County alone,
along with several in Pinellas and Pasco. New numbers released
Thursday show the statewide total now at 111. So how
(00:23):
does dengue fever spread? How do you know you have
it and what should you do if you get it?
We have Dr. Evelyn Huang, MD. She's with the emergency
department at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, and she's going to
help us answer some of these questions. Dr. Huang, good
morning and welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Good morning. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
All right. First of all, we know that, of course,
that most of us know that dengue fever is transmitted
by mosquitoes. Is it present all the time in Florida
or does it come in from elsewhere? And when people,
when health officials and doctors refer to locally transmitted cases,
what does that mean?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, so that's a good question. So no, it is
not endemic to Florida. The Florida Department of Health does state, though,
that there are several cases each year. It is normally
found in more tropical climates, so places like Central America,
South America, the Caribbean, and Asia. And it usually means
that somebody has traveled to those areas, got bitten by
(01:20):
a mosquito that had dengue fever, came back to Florida,
and then a mosquito then bit them and then transmitted
it to somebody else. So when we say locally acquired
or local transmission, that means that you got it from
somebody else in your home area or community.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Now, if you are bitten by an infected mosquito, are
you always going to develop symptoms of dengue? How does
that work?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
No, not at all. So, you know, the CDC cites
that only one in four people infected with dengue fever
will actually get symptoms. And then of those people that
get sick, only one in 20 will get the severe
dengue or severe symptoms.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Now, if you've had dengue before, and not a few
people in Florida have because they've traveled elsewhere or maybe
have been exposed in previous outbreaks, if you've had dengue before,
are you more or less likely to to face health
problems or show symptoms if you're exposed again?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yeah, so unfortunately, it's more likely. So if you've had
a previous infection with dengue, you have an increased risk
of developing severe dengue fever.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
And is there a reason why that is? Is it
just part of the nature of the disease?
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Yeah, so looking into it a little bit more, I
think it's just your immune system and how it communicates.
And when you've already been exposed to it before, your
body is not as well equipped to fight it again
the second time.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
So it's based on the immune reaction. Exactly. How do
you know when symptoms are serious enough that you need
to go to see a doctor or go to an
emergency room?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yeah, so I get that question a lot of, hey,
why should I go to the emergency room? And I
think that if you are concerned about dengue fever, you
should be seeing a doctor regardless, right? Because there are
implications for you and your loved ones and also your community, right?
So if you have dengue fever, you wanna make sure
you're not giving it to your family or your friends
(03:17):
or the people that live with you, but also the
health department wants to know about it, right? Because then
we can see where it's coming from, where it's spreading, right?
So yes, you should always be seeing a doctor if
you're concerned about dengue fever. In terms of seeing me
in the emergency department, I always tell people, hey, if
you're scared, if you're worried, we wanna see you, right?
(03:37):
Best case scenario, it's not the thing that you were
scared of. So never be afraid to come, we're always open.
In terms of symptoms that I look for as an
ER doctor that are signs of a severe dengue infection
would be things like severe belly pain, vomiting, If somebody
is getting dehydrated and they're not keeping any food or
drink down, if they're having difficulty breathing, if somebody who
(04:01):
has dengue is confused or extra drowsy or not acting
like themselves, that can be really dangerous. And then lastly,
dengue fever can affect how our body builds clots. So
a lot of patients who develop severe dengue will get
bleeding issues. So if you're noticing any bleeding, that's a
severe symptom as well.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
And of course, the main way to avoid dengue fever
is to avoid getting bitten by a mosquito. And if
we could kind of to wrap it up, just a
reminder of the basic precautions that people need to take
to avoid getting bitten. Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
So mosquito spray, right? And then wearing protective clothing. If
you live in a home with a lot of standing
water around it, making sure that we're emptying sources of
standing water, such as, you know, flower pots or you know,
bowls that are outside. You're also, if you're in the home,
making sure you're using mosquito nets on your windows or
your doors. And if you have dengue, making sure that
(04:59):
you are taking all these precautions so that you're not
giving dengue to anybody else.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
And of course, our local officials at the county level
are also taking steps with extra mosquito spraying and extra
spraying targeting mosquitoes and mosquito larvae and the types of
species that spread dengue to keep that and get that
problem under control. Dr. Evelyn Wong with the Emergency Department
at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, thank you very much for
(05:25):
joining us on Beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Thank you so much.
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