Seminole County confirms its first locally acquired dengue case of 2026; health department issues mosquito advisory

State health officials have confirmed a case of dengue in Seminole County that was acquired locally, meaning the person was infected by a mosquito here rather than while traveling.

The Florida Department of Health in Seminole County announced the case Wednesday and put the county under a mosquito-borne illness advisory, the first for the county this year, WFTV reported. It is coordinating tracking, prevention and control work with the county's mosquito control division.

Officials did not say where in the county the infection occurred, when it was identified or how the patient is doing, according to the station.

A cluster next door

The case comes after weeks of dengue activity in neighboring counties. The current Orange County cluster began with a local case confirmed Sept. 2 in Pine Hills, and two more cases in the Apopka area led the county to raise its advisory to an alert on Sept. 18, WFTV reported. Orange County's count reached five by Oct. 12 and the county planned aerial spraying.

Brevard County reported a local case on Oct. 17.

Seminole County had been monitoring mosquitoes because of the Orange County cases, the station said.

What residents are asked to do

The health department is urging residents to avoid bites and to cut down on places where mosquitoes breed around their homes, such as standing water. Statewide, health officials also watch for West Nile, chikungunya, malaria and two forms of encephalitis, St. Louis and Eastern equine. Dead birds can be reported online to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Dengue spreads through the bite of an infected mosquito. The Florida Department of Health in Seminole County takes questions at 407-665-3243, and its mosquito prevention guidance is on the state health department's website.

Sources

wftv.com

wftv.com

seminole.floridahealth.gov