A Florida woman died on her 80th birthday after contracting dengue, a mosquito-borne viral infection, as the state faces an unusually large outbreak driven largely by local transmission.
Gay Rabb Small died on September 4, one week after being diagnosed with dengue, a viral infection that’s spread through mosquito bites. Her daughter, Anna Small, took her to the emergency room after she noticed her mother had developed a tremor.
Small was active and in good shape, aiming to walk at least five miles a day. She may have contracted the virus through a mosquito bite during one of her walks. Most people infected with dengue do not show symptoms.
Historically, dengue infections in the continental United States have generally been linked to travel. But most of Florida’s cases this year were acquired locally, according to CDC figures cited by The New York Times.
“It is very unusual to have transmission in the United States,” Eva Harris, a professor of infectious diseases and vaccinology at the University of California, Berkeley, told the Times. “This is so very much of an eye-opener.”
More than 2,500 dengue cases have been reported nationwide this year, including 880 in Florida, making it the hardest-hit state. Florida reported 517 cases in 2025.
Experts say Florida’s warm, wet weather has created favorable breeding conditions for mosquitoes, helping fuel the larger-than-usual outbreak.
The outbreak prompted emergency declarations in three Florida counties — Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco — with the CDC awarding $800,000 to support surveillance and mosquito-control efforts.
Travel-associated cases have also been reported as far north as Minnesota and Maine. Ira Longini, a biostatistician at the University of Florida, warned that outbreaks could worsen.
“I think the dengue outbreaks will get worse over the coming years in the United States,” he said.
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