TAMPA, FL — The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County is investigating after the family of a Tampa woman who recently died reportedly said her death was caused by dengue fever, Claire Maher, public information officer for the department, told Patch.
The department couldn't confirm the death and said that under state law, the agency can't provide details about specific cases, Maher said.
Gay Small's family told news outlets that she died early Sept. 4, on her 80th birthday, at Tampa General Hospital, where she was hospitalized with dengue fever.
Her case was locally acquired, her daughter, Anna Smalls, 55, told the Tampa Bay Times.
"She hasn't traveled. She doesn't drive. She hadn't left the city limits in more than a month," Anna said.
Gay had been healthy and active before contracting dengue, her daughter told WFLA.
"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. And you know, this virus just kind of comes out of nowhere. She met the wrong mosquito, and that's it," Anna said.
She and her family knew dengue well, as Gay's late husband, Bob Small, spent his career working for pharmaceutical companies and nonprofits focused on developing a vaccine for the disease, the Times reported.
Gay frequently traveled with him for work to Asia, South America and the South Pacific.
If her cause of death is confirmed, it will be the first dengue fever death in the Tampa Bay area in nearly 100 years, reports said.
Her death comes as dengue cases are on the rise across Florida, with Hillsborough County as the epicenter.
More than 200 people in Florida have contracted the disease this year, according to the Florida Department of Health's Florida Arbovirus Surveillance report for Aug. 23-29. The report is updated every Thursday.
Seventy-three cases of locally acquired dengue have been recorded since Jan. 1, 59 of them in Hillsborough, the report said.
There have also been seven cases in Miami-Dade County, five cases in Pinellas County, and one case each in Palm Beach and Pasco counties.
The first locally acquired dengue case this year, reported in Hillsborough, was recorded in the July 19-25 report.
Health department data also show that there have been 136 travel-associated dengue cases recorded in the state since the start of the year.
The report doesn't break down which county recorded these travel-associated cases. Rather, the data lists the country of exposure.
According to the report, people who traveled to Cuba accounted for 101 of the travel-associated dengue cases.
"Residents throughout the state should take precautions from mosquito-borne illnesses by appropriately applying insect repellent, avoiding areas with high mosquito populations, and wearing long pants and shirts when possible — especially during sunrise and sunset when mosquitoes are most active," Maher said.
Those experiencing dengue symptoms should contact their health care provider or local county health department, she added.
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