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The CDC has issued a Level 3 emergency response for dengue outbreaks in Florida and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Florida has reported 745 cases this year, including 425 locally acquired cases, the largest U.S. outbreak of its kind since 1935, according to the CDC and MedPage Today.
The CDC has activated a Level 3 emergency response for dengue outbreaks in Florida and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, as Florida reports 745 cases this year, including 425 acquired locally. The Florida total is the largest dengue outbreak in the continental United States since 1935, according to the report by MedPage Today, and most locally acquired cases are concentrated in the Tampa area.
The CDC response is the agency’s eighth emergency activation this year. In an email shared with MedPage Today, Chris Braden, acting director of the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said the agency was concerned about continued local transmission in Florida. The response also covers the Marshall Islands, where authorities have declared a state of emergency on the islands of Ebeye and Majuro. Braden said the CDC has provided programmatic support and deployed an Epi-Aid team there.
CDC experts told clinicians that Florida’s locally acquired infections primarily involve dengue virus serotype 2, or DENV-2. About 54% of cases are in men, the median age is 43, and 45% are among people ages 30 to 49. The CDC reported that 47% of cases required hospitalization. That share may point to under-reporting, but the available information does not establish how many infections have gone undetected.
Florida has recorded locally acquired dengue before, but experts described this year’s numbers as unusually high. Adam Waickman, a dengue expert at SUNY Upstate Medical University, told MedPage Today that dengue-transmitting mosquitoes are now more prevalent in Florida. He said routine spraying may not reach mosquitoes that live in and around homes, and recommended measures to reduce bites, including repellent and covering exposed skin.
Local Transmission Raises Florida’s Stakes
The response signals that the CDC is devoting emergency resources to a growing outbreak in Florida and to dengue activity in the Marshall Islands. For Florida residents, the reported locally acquired cases mean infections are not limited to people who became ill after travel. The concentration around Tampa makes local exposure a particular concern there, although the supplied report does not identify specific neighborhoods or give a county-by-county breakdown.
Dengue can cause severe illness, and the hospitalization rate reported by the CDC underscores the health burden among identified cases. Waickman told MedPage Today that 70% to 90% of dengue infections may be asymptomatic, so case counts can miss infections that are not recognized or diagnosed. That estimate is an expert’s account of dengue infections generally, not a confirmed count of unreported cases in Florida. It does mean reported totals should not be treated as a complete measure of transmission.
There is no dengue vaccine licensed in the United States, according to the report. The combination of continuing local transmission, mosquito populations that can carry the virus, and limited vaccine availability makes prevention of mosquito bites and public-health response important while infections are being tracked.
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Why Florida’s Dengue Numbers Stand Out
Dengue is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, including Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Waickman told MedPage Today that Aedes aegypti is the more effective vector and that its range has extended as far north as Virginia; Aedes albopictus reaches into Pennsylvania. He also pointed to recent hurricane-related rainfall as a concern alongside the widespread presence of Aedes aegypti in Florida. The report does not quantify how much rainfall contributed to this outbreak.
The CDC’s Level 3 activation comes amid a year of multiple emergency responses managed by the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. Braden cited responses involving Cyclospora, Ebola, measles, hantavirus and New World screwworm, as well as activations related to World Cup safety and a wastewater spill near Washington, D.C. The list gives context for the workload facing the agency; it does not indicate that those events are connected to dengue.
Dengue vaccines discussed in the report are not licensed in the United States. Waickman said Sanofi Pasteur’s vaccine was associated with an increased risk of severe disease in people who had never previously had dengue. Takeda withdrew its U.S. biologics license application in 2023 after discussions with the FDA about aspects of data collection, the company said. Antivirals and monoclonal antibodies are being studied, but the report describes them as investigational rather than available treatments.
“Wearing mosquito repellent, wearing long sleeves, making sure you’re covering up to avoid mosquito bites, that’s the most effective thing you can do to avoid getting exposed.”
— Adam Waickman, dengue expert at SUNY Upstate Medical University, speaking to MedPage Today
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How Much Dengue Is Undetected
The reported 745 Florida cases do not establish the total number of infections. The CDC’s reported hospitalization rate may suggest that some cases are missing from official counts, and Waickman said many dengue infections are asymptomatic, but the sources provide no estimate of the number of undiagnosed infections in Florida. The report also does not give a detailed geographic breakdown beyond noting that most locally acquired cases are concentrated in the Tampa area.
It remains unclear how long local transmission will continue, whether case numbers will rise, and how much recent rainfall has affected mosquito activity. The CDC activation does not, by itself, establish specific new restrictions or a vaccination program. The report also does not detail the full operational steps planned for Florida under the Level 3 response.
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CDC Monitoring and Bite Prevention
The immediate next steps are continued CDC support and public-health monitoring in both affected locations. The agency has already deployed an Epi-Aid team to the Marshall Islands; the source material does not describe a comparable team deployment to Florida. Case totals and the distribution of locally acquired infections will help clarify how the outbreak develops.
For people in affected areas, the practical advice described by Waickman is to reduce mosquito bites with repellent and clothing that covers exposed skin. Residents should follow local and state public-health guidance as it is issued. Research into dengue antivirals and monoclonal antibodies is ongoing, but those candidates are not presented as currently available dengue treatments in the United States.
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Key Questions
What emergency response did the CDC issue?
The CDC issued a Level 3 emergency response for dengue outbreaks in Florida and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. It was the agency’s eighth emergency response activation of 2026, according to the report.
How many dengue cases has Florida reported?
Florida has reported 745 cases this year, including 425 acquired locally. Most locally acquired cases are concentrated in the Tampa area, according to the source report.
Does the reported case count include every infection?
Not necessarily. The CDC-reported hospitalization rate may indicate under-reporting, and dengue expert Adam Waickman said many infections can be asymptomatic. The available sources do not provide a count of undetected infections in Florida.
What can people do to reduce their risk?
Waickman recommended using mosquito repellent and wearing long sleeves or other clothing that covers exposed skin. People should also follow public-health guidance in their area.
Is a dengue vaccine available in the United States?
The report says no dengue vaccine is licensed in the United States. It also describes antiviral and monoclonal-antibody candidates as being studied, not as established, available treatments.
Source: rss
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