Tropical disease spread by mosquitoes claims first recorded death in southern US state

Florida recorded its first confirmed dengue fever death of 2026 earlier this month, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Gay Small of Hillsborough County died on Sept.

4 — her 80th birthday — from complications of a dengue infection, including septic shock and multi-organ failure, after she was bitten by a mosquito near her home on Bayshore Boulevard, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

"Cheated, just, you know, it’s so unfair because she was in good health, and she worked hard to stay healthy, and she walked, and she ate right and you know, all the things that you’re supposed to do," Small's daughter, Anna Small, told Tampa's WFLA Channel 8.

DANGEROUS MOSQUITO-BORNE VIRUS SPREADS IN ONE STATE AS OFFICIALS WARN OF RISING CASES "And you know, this virus just kind of comes out of nowhere.

She met the wrong mosquito, and that’s it," Anna Small said.

Small's family said they believe Gay Small first caught dengue years ago while traveling abroad but didn't know it.

People who have had dengue before are much more likely to develop severe symptoms.

"While in the hospital, Small said her mother was weak, her hands turned red, and she had trembles that she could hear in her voice," reported WFLA.

"She had to go into the ICU by the middle of the week." Small's late husband, Bob Small, spent his career working on dengue vaccines, according to the couple's daughter.

The Florida Department of Health confirmed the death Friday after completing its investigation, but did not release additional information, WFLA reported.

The Times, citing University of South Florida public-health instructor Kristi Miley, reported that a dengue death had not been recorded in the Tampa Bay area in nearly a century.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral illness that can cause fever, severe aches, nausea, rash and, in rare cases, life-threatening complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The virus is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, including Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific islands, Latin America and Africa.