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Florida traces 323 of its 382 travel-related dengue cases in 2026 to Cuba

Through the end of October the Florida Department of Health counted 524 infections acquired inside the state and 382 linked to international travel; of the latter, 323 had Cuba as the place of exposure, according to Periódico Cubano.

Florida has recorded 524 dengue infections acquired within its territory in 2026, above the 382 linked to international travel, according to the Florida Department of Health report for the week of October 25 to 31 as reported by Periódico Cubano. Of the 382 imported infections, 323 had Cuba as the place of exposure.

Hillsborough accounts for 407 local infections. Pinellas has 80; Miami-Dade, 12; and Orange, where Orlando sits, 10. In all of 2025 the state had counted 62 locally transmitted cases.

On November 5 Hillsborough extended its local emergency through Thursday the 12th and is keeping up aerial and ground treatments after detecting viral activity in mosquitoes in several neighborhoods. Pinellas also declared an emergency and stepped up action against breeding sites.

Gabriela Paz-Bailey, head of the dengue division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told The New York Times she expects locally acquired cases to keep appearing and to become the norm. The CDC notes that no dengue vaccine is currently available for use in the United States.

The Cuban figure does not allow the local infections to be attributed to travel between the two places, as the report itself warns: the transmission cycle can begin when a mosquito bites someone carrying the virus, so a person can catch dengue without ever leaving the United States. Researchers are examining different circumstances to explain the intensity of the Tampa outbreak, including the introduction of the virus by travelers from the Caribbean.

Sources: Periódico Cubano

Data updated: 2026-11-12T04:15:00.000Z

Florida traces 323 of its 382 travel-related dengue cases in 2026 to Cuba | Yamacoa Observatory