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Florida woman, 80, dies from dengue fever on her birthday
New York Post • • general
Key Points:
- Gay Small, an 80-year-old Florida woman, became the state's first recorded dengue fever death in 2026 after contracting the disease near her Tampa home, with dengue infection listed as the official cause of death along with septic shock and multi-organ failure.
- Small’s daughter suspects a prior unnoticed dengue infection may have made this second exposure fatal, as a second dengue infection can trigger a severe immune response, according to infectious disease experts.
- This marks the Tampa Bay region’s first dengue fatality in nearly 100 years amid a statewide outbreak, with 152 confirmed cases in Florida, predominantly in Hillsborough County.
- Florida is experiencing its second-worst dengue year on record, with cases nearing the 2023 peak, and many infections likely go unreported due to asymptomatic presentations.
- Local health authorities are actively combating the outbreak by spraying pesticides and eliminating mosquito breeding sites, with recent data suggesting the outbreak is gradually subsiding.
