The Rise of Dengue in South Florida: Prevention and Treatment

Dengue has become a regular part of life in Florida. The state now records hundreds of dengue infections a year, and for most people the illness passes in about a week with rest, fluids and the right fever medicine. The danger is the small share of cases that turn severe, often just as the fever seems to break, and the fact that every sick person can feed the next round of infected mosquitoes.

This guide focuses on what you can do: recognize dengue early, treat it safely at home under a doctor’s guidance, know when to go to the emergency room, and prevent both bites and the mosquitoes that spread the virus around South Florida homes.

How Much Has Dengue Risen in Florida?

Locally acquired dengue, meaning people infected by mosquitoes in Florida without traveling, used to be rare. For 2024, the Florida Department of Health had reported 90 local cases by early January 2025, 49 of them in Miami-Dade, along with 966 travel-associated cases. In 2026, the state reported 425 locally acquired cases through October 17, driven largely by an outbreak in Hillsborough (346 cases) and Pinellas (51 cases) counties.

South Florida remains the main entry point. Most dengue in Florida starts with someone infected abroad, and Miami-Dade reports far more of those imported cases than any other county:

As of mid-October 2026, Miami-Dade was under a mosquito-borne illness alert, and Broward and Palm Beach were under an advisory. For the full picture of who is at risk and where local cases have appeared, read are Floridians at risk for dengue fever.

Why Dengue Spreads in South Florida Neighborhoods

The chain is short. A traveler comes home with dengue in their blood, a local mosquito bites them, the virus develops inside the mosquito, and that mosquito bites someone else. The main carrier is the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, which thrives in urban South Florida, prefers to bite people and breeds in the small containers found around almost every home.

Because these mosquitoes fly only a few blocks in their lifetime, according to the CDC, dengue clusters tend to be local: a few streets rather than a whole county. That makes what happens in your own yard and your neighbors’ yards matter a great deal. Our guide to dengue mosquitoes in South Florida explains how to recognize them and where they hide.

Recognizing Dengue: Symptoms and Timeline

According to the Florida Department of Health, symptoms appear 3 to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. The CDC says about 1 in 4 infected people get sick, and the most common symptom is fever with one or more of the following:

• Pain behind the eyes
• Severe headache
• Muscle, joint or bone pain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Rash

Dengue is often mistaken for the flu. The course of the illness usually follows three phases:

About 1 in 20 people who get sick develop severe dengue, which can cause shock, internal bleeding and death. The CDC stresses that it can become serious within a few hours.

How Dengue Is Treated

There is no specific medicine or antiviral for dengue. Treatment supports your body while the infection runs its course, and the CDC and Florida Department of Health agree on the basics:

1. See a healthcare provider if you develop a fever or dengue symptoms, and mention any recent travel.
2. Rest as much as possible.
3. Drink plenty of fluids, such as water or drinks with added electrolytes, to prevent dehydration.
4. Use acetaminophen for fever and pain, following the label or your doctor’s instructions.
5. Avoid aspirin, ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which the Florida Department of Health advises against.
6. Watch closely after the fever breaks, because that is when warning signs usually start.

Severe cases often need hospital care, where fluid replacement is the main treatment, according to the Florida Department of Health. A blood test confirms dengue, but your provider can begin care based on your symptoms without waiting for results.

Protect Your Household While Someone Is Sick

During the first week of illness, dengue virus can be found in the blood, and the CDC warns that mosquitoes biting a sick person can pick it up. That person can become the starting point of a neighborhood cluster.

• Keep the sick person indoors with screens closed and the air conditioning on.
• Have them use an EPA-registered repellent if they go outside.
• Walk the yard and dump any water where mosquitoes could be breeding.
• Make sure everyone else in the home avoids bites for the next few weeks.

Preventing Dengue: Vaccines, Travel and Bites

Is There a Dengue Vaccine?

Not in the United States. The CDC says no dengue vaccine is currently available here. Dengvaxia, approved in 2021 for children 9 to 16 with a confirmed past dengue infection living in areas where dengue is common, stopped being produced in 2024 because of low global demand. Other vaccines exist abroad but are not available here.

Travel Precautions

Many South Florida families travel often to the Caribbean and Latin America. The CDC recommends packing an EPA-registered repellent and acetaminophen, staying in screened or air-conditioned rooms, and, after you return, avoiding mosquito bites for 3 weeks even if you feel fine, while watching for symptoms for 2 weeks.

Everyday Bite Prevention

The CDC calls protecting yourself from bites “the best way to prevent dengue.” Aedes mosquitoes bite during the day and at night, so:

• Use a repellent with DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol, following the label.
• Wear loose, long-sleeved shirts and long pants outdoors.
• Repair torn screens on windows, doors and patios.
• Use mosquito netting for babies younger than 2 months.

Mosquito Control Around the Home: Three Approaches

Mosquito control against dengue works on three fronts. Each one does something the others cannot.

Environmental control (source reduction). This is the foundation. The Florida Department of Health asks residents to drain standing water at least weekly: buckets, birdbaths, pet bowls, pool covers and anything else that holds rain. Because Aedes eggs stick to container walls and survive drying, scrub containers rather than just tipping them out. Our article on why mosquito control matters around the home goes deeper into breeding sites, and the lifecycle of mosquitoes explains why weekly timing works.

Chemical control. Larvicides treat water you cannot drain, and targeted treatments reduce adults where they rest. Any product must be used exactly as its label directs.

Biological control. Starting in 2018, Miami-Dade County tested releasing male Aedes aegypti carrying Wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacterium, in a half-square-mile area of South Miami. When these males mate with wild females, the eggs fail to hatch, and because males do not bite, they cannot spread disease. Programs like this are run by public agencies, not homeowners.

For a closer look at the other illnesses the same mosquitoes carry, see the health risks of mosquito bites.

How Toro Helps Reduce Dengue Mosquitoes

If you drain and scrub every week and still get bitten in the daytime, Aedes mosquitoes are breeding or resting somewhere you are missing. Toro’s mosquito control service starts with a free inspection to find those spots, from bromeliads and gutters to pool covers and shady corners. Technicians treat breeding sites with larvicide granules and growth regulators, apply a plant-oil barrier treatment to the shrubs where adults rest, and show you which containers keep refilling.

Professional mosquito control does not replace medical care or county programs, and no treatment stops every mosquito. What it does is cut the number of Aedes mosquitoes where your family spends its time. Toro has protected homes in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and the Keys since 1969, and if the bugs come back, so will Toro, at no additional cost to you.

Contact Toro today

A free inspection & $25 off your first service

A trained Toro technician inspects your home or business, explains what was found and gives you a clear plan and quote, backed by our 110% Satisfaction Guarantee.

305-594-4767

Schedule My Free InspectionCall Toro Now

Frequently Asked Questions

Educational content. This article is for general information about pests in South Florida and is not medical, legal or professional advice. If you have a bite, sting or allergic reaction, contact your doctor; in an emergency, call 911. Pest problems vary from home to home, so a licensed professional should inspect before treatment. When using any pesticide, always read and follow the product label.

Related articles

Why Mosquito Problems Are More Than Just an Outdoor AnnoyanceMosquito-Borne Diseases Beyond Dengue: Zika, West Nile and ChikungunyaWhy Aedes Mosquitoes Are Different From Regular Backyard Mosquitoes