Tampa Woman’s Dengue Death Raises Alarm Over Local Transmission

An 80-year-old Tampa woman, Gay Small, died within a week after contracting dengue fever—a locally transmitted outbreak that officials say could mark the first fatal dengue case in Tampa Bay in nearly a century if confirmed. The region has seen a surge of dengue this summer, with Hillsborough County reporting 59 locally acquired infections and Tampa General treating about 20 cases; doctors caution that dengue can be severe, especially in older adults, and that the disease is spreading locally rather than just affecting travelers. Small’s family, who are familiar with the disease through her late husband’s vaccine work, shared her story to raise awareness as an autopsy is planned to determine the exact cause of death.