Florida health officials have confirmed a death from dengue in Hillsborough County, a county that typically sees only a handful of locally acquired cases. The Florida Department of Health confirmed the death Friday, Sept. 18, without releasing further details, the Associated Press reported. The Tampa Bay Times, which first reported the death, described the patient as an 80-year-old Tampa woman who died Sept. 4 and reported that she was likely bitten by a mosquito near her home.
The confirmation resolves a question that had been open for more than a week, and it sharpens the concern for one group in particular: older adults and the family members who look after them. Dengue is often mild or causes no symptoms, but older adults and people with chronic conditions are among those at higher risk of severe illness.
