Dengue's Growing Shadow: A Warning for a Warmer World As Florida mourns its first recorded dengue related death in nearly a century, it is clear that this tropical disease is no longer a distant threat to the United States.
The surge of cases in the Sunshine State – with at least 332 reported so far this year – has left health officials scrambling to mitigate the spread and warn the public of the dangers lurking in their backyards.
The story of Gay Small, an 80 year old Hillsborough County resident who succumbed to dengue fever on her 80th birthday, serves as a stark reminder that this disease is not one to be underestimated.