Dengue Cases Surge in Hillsborough County as 'Breakbone Fever' Spreads

In the warm, humid heart of Florida's Gulf Coast, a familiar but formidable illness is reasserting itself. Dengue fever — known grimly as 'breakbone fever' for the suffering it inflicts — has nearly doubled in case count across Hillsborough County in recent weeks, making this one of the sharpest surges the region has seen in years. The outbreak arrives at the peak of mosquito season, when the conditions that sustain the Aedes mosquito are at their most favorable, reminding residents that the boundary between the natural world and human health is never as firm as we imagine. Public health offic