Fifty-seven. That's how many locally acquired dengue cases Florida added in its newest weekly report, and the total for the year is now 425. You're listening to Dengue Fever Watch, and it's Friday, October 23rd. We have the new state numbers, another week of emergency orders around Tampa Bay, and a countywide spraying plan in Osceola. One tap on follow, and we'll be back in your ears before you know it.
Rick Mayer, reporting for WUSF on Thursday:
Hillsborough County added 36 locally acquired dengue infections and Pinellas another 14 in the latest weekly arbovirus report from the Florida Department of Health that covers Oct. 11-17.
Our last state number was 368 through October 10th. Can I put that next to 425? You can. It's the same weekly report and the same definition, confirmed and locally acquired, for 2026. 368 plus 57 gives you 425, now spread across 11 counties. Hillsborough is at 346 and Pinellas at 51. Pasco stayed at four. WUSF says Citrus and Manatee reported their first cases of this outbreak. On Wednesday we said we'd check for Seminole, Citrus and Brevard. Are they in it? Two of the three. The county list published by Outbreak News Today shows two cases in Citrus and one in Brevard. Seminole isn't on it, so its case, announced Wednesday, may show up in a later report. The same list shows eight in Orange. The five we've cited before came from the county, as of October 12th. And the travel cases are a separate count? Completely separate. WUSF says 32 travel-associated cases were added that week, 320 for the year, most of them in Miami-Dade. Don't add those to the 425. The weather finally cooled off this week. Does that help? Possibly, but not right away. WUSF says the cooler, drier stretch would need to last longer before it shows up in case counts. And health officials say the database undercounts, since many infected people never have symptoms.
Pinellas County, in an emergency order dated Thursday:
the Board of County Commissioners finds that a factual basis exists for the County to remain under a State of Local Emergency until 3:00 P.M. Thursday, October 29, 2026, and the State of Local Emergency is hereby extended until such time.
On Wednesday, none of our sources had a new end date. So this answers that. It does, for both counties. Hillsborough County Administrator Bonnie Wise signed an executive order Thursday that also runs to October 29th. Florida law limits these declarations to seven days at a time, so they keep coming up for renewal. The Yahoo report says it's the fourth extension in each county. Hillsborough says the declaration lets emergency managers act quickly and opens a path to reimbursement for some expenses. And the Lee County helicopter for St. Pete and Clearwater? We heard it could start as early as today. It's been pushed back. Pinellas says high winds delayed those first aerial larvae treatments, and they're expected to begin no earlier than the middle of next week, weather permitting. The county's own count is 51 confirmed cases in Pinellas since August. One deadline worth writing down. The Yahoo report says Pinellas's waiver on tire disposal fees ends Friday, October 30th. Old tires collect the standing water these mosquitoes breed in.
Stephanie Rodriguez, for ClickOrlando, on Thursday:
The Osceola County Board of County Commissioners authorized Mosquito Control to procure a contractor for countywide aerial spraying following recent heavy rain and an approaching weather front expected to bring additional precipitation to the region.
Osceola is new for us. Does it have local cases? Osceola isn't on the state's list of local-case counties through October 17th, and this report doesn't say it has any. The county cites the rain, and the state health department says mosquito-borne illness is rising in the area. ClickOrlando doesn't give flight dates. Planes can't spray in rain or in winds above 10 miles an hour. If weather interferes, flights move to other October dates at the same hours. Beekeepers with concerns are asked to contact Osceola County Mosquito Control. And Seminole now has a location. Yes, the Winter Springs area. Alan Harris, Seminole's emergency management director, told ClickOrlando's Serra Sowers the person works there but lives elsewhere, and reported mosquito bites near work. Harris also said a couple more potential cases are being tested. Those aren't confirmed cases.
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For next time: whether the next weekly state report puts Seminole on the state's list, when the Pinellas helicopter actually flies, and whether the October 29th emergency orders get renewed. Sources are in the episode notes. Thanks for listening to Dengue Fever Watch, a Lantern Podcast. Be well.