For the first time in more than 15 years, Pinellas County has confirmed local transmission of dengue fever — and instead of waiting on Washington or Tallahassee for direction, the county’s own mosquito control team has moved swiftly to contain it.

The Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County issued a mosquito-borne illness alert on Aug. 11 after confirming two locally acquired cases of dengue in the Palm Harbor area. “Locally acquired” means mosquitoes already in the community transmitted the virus, not a traveler who was later bitten elsewhere.

Pinellas County Mosquito Control manager Alyssa Berro said the county has no modern history of dengue transmission. “Pinellas doesn’t have any modern history of having dengue in the county,” Berro said. “So this is one of those cases [where] somebody has returned from somewhere they got bit. And then got bit by our mosquitoes, which then started the transmission in this area.”

The county’s response has been swift and locally run. Mosquito control crews increased ground inspections and began dawn truck-mounted fogging as soon as surveillance data showed rising mosquito activity and virus presence in the area. Officials say they’re working closely with the state health department on surveillance, education and treatment — but the boots-on-the-ground work of inspecting yards and fogging streets is being handled by the county’s own mosquito control district, the kind of hands-on local service that rarely makes headlines until something like this happens.

The mosquitoes responsible, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, are daytime biters that breed in standing water on private property — flowerpots, buckets, clogged gutters, tarps. That means large-scale spraying only goes so far. County officials are blunt that success now depends heavily on residents doing their part: dumping standing water, wearing light-colored long sleeves, and using insect repellent. It’s the kind of individual responsibility no government fogging truck can substitute for.

Officials are also asking residents to let mosquito control technicians inspect and treat properties directly, given how much of this species’ breeding happens away from public land.

The Pinellas outbreak is part of a broader uptick across Tampa Bay this year. Neighboring Hillsborough County has confirmed a larger number of locally acquired cases, and Pasco County has also ramped up its own mosquito control response. State data shows dozens of locally acquired dengue cases across Florida so far in 2026, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Dengue is not contagious between people — it spreads only through mosquito bites. Symptoms can include fever, joint and muscle pain, and sometimes a rash. Residents experiencing these symptoms are encouraged to contact a healthcare provider.

Both Pinellas and Hillsborough residents can check online which neighborhoods have already been treated.

Follow the St. Pete-Clearwater Sun on Facebook, Google, & X

St. Pete-Clearwater Sun: local St. Pete-Clearwater & Tampa Bay, FL news at PIE-Sun.com