Brevard County has a confirmed human case of locally acquired dengue, state health officials announced Friday, as Florida's statewide outbreak reaches 368 locally acquired cases. The Florida Department of Health in Brevard County did not disclose where in the county the patient lives or any other identifying details about the case.
The announcement, reported by Space Coast Daily, confirms that DOH-Brevard is informing residents of the locally acquired case as part of an updated mosquito-borne illness advisory. DOH-Brevard and Brevard County Mosquito Control are now coordinating enhanced mosquito and disease surveillance, along with targeted mosquito treatment and overnight spraying, according to the same report. State health officials say the combined effort is meant to reduce the risk of further disease transmission.
As Florida Today reports, dengue is a viral infection spread from mosquitoes to people and is more common in tropical and subtropical climates, per the World Health Organization. About one in four people infected with dengue actually get sick, according to the CDC, but those who do can develop a flu-like illness marked by severe muscle aches, joint pain, fever and sometimes a rash — usually without the respiratory symptoms associated with other viruses. Florida Today, whose reporting on the Brevard case was authored by Jim Waymer, notes that symptoms typically appear within 15 days of a bite from an infected mosquito.
A County Already on Alert
Brevard County was already operating under a mosquito-borne illness advisory before Friday's announcement, one of several Florida counties flagged by the state. According to WUSF, counties under a mosquito-borne illness advisory as of Oct. 10 included Bay, Brevard, Broward, Holmes, Leon, Manatee, Martin, Palm Beach, Polk and Walton. The Herald-Tribune reports that 17 counties statewide were under either an advisory or an alert as of the same date, per the Herald-Tribune.
Statewide numbers have climbed sharply. Florida reported 72 new locally acquired dengue cases during the week of Oct. 4-10 alone, bringing the year's total to 368, the same WUSF report states. That is a dramatic jump from 2025, when Florida reported just 62 cases for the entire year, according to the Herald-Tribune. Brevard County led the state in locally transmitted dengue cases that year, with Florida Today reporting the county accounted for at least 35 of Florida's 62 locally caught cases in 2025, alongside two travel-related cases.
Hillsborough Remains the Epicenter
Florida's current outbreak is concentrated far from the Space Coast. Hillsborough County added 51 locally acquired cases during the week of Oct. 4-10, bringing its total since July to 310, per WUSF's reporting. Nearly 90 percent of the state's reported dengue cases have occurred in Hillsborough County, which has recorded one death associated with the outbreak, according to FOX 13 News. Mosquito-control crews from Pasco, Manatee and Brevard counties have assisted Hillsborough's response, the station reports.
Hillsborough County has extended its state of local emergency through Oct. 22, acting under authority granted by its Emergency Management Ordinance and Chapter 252 of the Florida Statutes, according to Hillsborough County, Florida. Nearby Pinellas County has also seen its case count climb, reporting 37 locally acquired cases for the week of Oct. 4-10, up from 20 the week before, per the same WUSF account. Some mosquito-control experts have said they hope changing weather will help bring case numbers down in the coming weeks, FOX 13 News reports, though that outcome remains unconfirmed.
Other Mosquito-Borne Threats in Brevard
Dengue isn't the only mosquito-borne concern on Florida Today's radar in Brevard this year. Sentinel chickens in the county recently tested positive for West Nile virus, triggering a separate health advisory, according to Florida Today's reporting. Statewide, Florida health officials conduct ongoing surveillance for mosquito-borne illnesses including West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, malaria, chikungunya and dengue, and residents are encouraged to report dead birds to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The Herald-Tribune separately reported seven positive West Nile virus samples and one chikungunya case statewide as of Oct. 10.
Brevard has also been under a 60-day rabies alert issued by state health officials on Sept. 3, after a raccoon captured near Andrews Avenue in the Melbourne area on Aug. 27 tested positive for rabies, Florida Today reports. Health officials continue to urge residents to avoid mosquito bites by staying indoors at dawn and dusk, using insect repellent, and wearing long sleeves and pants when outdoors.
Experts are still trying to determine why dengue, a disease typically associated with the tropics, is spreading locally in and from Brevard County. Brevard Mosquito Control director Joseph Faella previously told WUSF that climate trends suggested the issue could emerge eventually, saying, “the way climate trends are going, we were thinking at some point this could be an issue, but we were just not thinking so soon.” Health officials have also cautioned that the true scope of infections is likely higher than reported figures suggest, since most people infected with dengue have no symptoms and may never get tested, according to WUSF's reporting.
