Health officials confirmed another locally acquired case and are urging residents to remove standing water around homes and businesses.

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Pasco County residents should treat standing water around their homes as a public-health issue this week, not just a seasonal nuisance.

The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County announced Sept. 28 that a third person in the county had been infected with dengue locally. That means the virus was acquired from a mosquito bite in the area rather than through travel.

DOH-Pasco said it is coordinating surveillance and prevention work with the Pasco County Mosquito Control District.

Officials did not identify the neighborhood, age or other personal details of the latest case. They also did not say the infection happened in Wesley Chapel. Because Wesley Chapel is an unincorporated community, county and state agencies are the main local authorities responding to this kind of public-health issue.

What the county emergency does

Pasco County declared a local state of emergency related to dengue on Sept. 23 under Resolution 26-407.

The emergency declaration covers all of Pasco County, including unincorporated areas such as Wesley Chapel. According to county notices, the declaration allows county officials to move faster, waive certain everyday procedures and support mosquito-control and public-health work.

The original order was set to last seven days unless rescinded or extended by county officials. Residents should check Pasco County and the Pasco County Mosquito Control District for the latest operational updates.

The emergency does not close schools, shut roads or tell people to stay inside. It is a coordination and response tool, not a lockdown.

Why the case counts may look different

Readers may see different Pasco numbers depending on which public-health source they are checking.

DOH-Pasco’s Sept. 28 alert is the newer local statement: three locally acquired dengue cases in Pasco County.

The Florida Department of Health’s statewide Week 37 arbovirus surveillance report covers illness that began Sept. 13-19. That report listed 190 locally acquired dengue cases in Florida this year, including:

  • Hillsborough County: 170
  • Miami-Dade County: 7
  • Pinellas County: 7
  • Orange County: 3
  • Pasco County: 2
  • Palm Beach County: 1

The same report said Pasco’s two counted cases began in August and were identified as dengue virus type 2. It also reported one Pasco mosquito pool, Aedes aegypti collected Sept. 16, that tested positive for DENV-2.

That reporting lag is important. A county health alert can confirm a newer local case before the next statewide weekly table reflects it.

Hillsborough County remains the center of the regional outbreak in the official counts. Pasco’s numbers are much smaller, but local officials are urging prevention now to reduce the chance of further spread.

What dengue is

Dengue can look like a flu-like illness. According to DOH-Pasco, symptoms may include fever, severe muscle and joint pain, and sometimes a rash. Respiratory symptoms are usually absent. Symptoms can appear within 15 days after the bite of an infected mosquito.

Dengue is not spread directly from person to person. Officials say it is transmitted by infected Aedes mosquitoes, including Aedes aegypti, which can live close to homes and bite during both daylight and nighttime hours.

That is the part that matters in Wesley Chapel neighborhoods. The mosquito does not need a swamp. A flowerpot saucer, bucket, birdbath, pet bowl, clogged gutter, tarp, children’s toy or pool-cover edge can hold enough water for mosquitoes to breed.

Why this matters in Wesley Chapel

Wesley Chapel does not have its own city hall. Decisions about emergency powers, health alerts and mosquito-control support come from Pasco County, DOH-Pasco and the Pasco County Mosquito Control District.

No official source has tied the third case to Wiregrass Ranch, Meadow Pointe, Seven Oaks, Epperson, Avalon Park, Saddlebrook or any other named Wesley Chapel neighborhood. Residents should not treat one subdivision as the outbreak zone.

The practical risk is simpler: any container of standing water can become a mosquito-breeding site.

That matters in fast-growing areas with more homes, patios, yards, pool areas, screened lanais, landscaping containers and outdoor items that can collect rain.

What residents should do

DOH-Pasco is asking residents to follow “Drain and Cover” guidance:

  • Drain standing water around homes and businesses at least once a week.
  • Check flowerpots, buckets, birdbaths, pet water bowls, gutters, tarps, pool covers and any container that collects rain.
  • Cover exposed skin when practical.
  • Use an EPA-registered insect repellent according to the product label.
  • Keep window and door screens in good repair.

The Pasco County Mosquito Control District also recommends removing, covering, turning over or scrubbing containers that can hold water. The district says mosquito-control operations may increase during disease-response periods, including ground, aerial, larval-control and adult mosquito-control activities depending on weather, surveillance findings and mosquito activity.

If symptoms appear after a mosquito bite, DOH-Pasco asks residents to call 727-619-0300. That number is a health-department contact, not a diagnosis and not a substitute for emergency care.

For mosquito-control updates, residents can visit pascomosquito.org or call 727-376-4568.

Sources

Florida Department of Health in Pasco County, “DOH-Pasco Issues Mosquito-Borne Illness Alert,” Sept. 28, 2026. https://pasco.floridahealth.gov/2026/09/28/doh-pasco-issues-mosquito-borneillness-alert/

Pasco County Board of County Commissioners, Resolution No. 26-407, State of Local Emergency Related to Mosquito-Borne Illness Known as Dengue, Sept. 23, 2026.

Pasco County notice, “Pasco County Issues Local State of Emergency,” Sept. 23, 2026.

Florida Department of Health, Florida Arbovirus Surveillance, Week 37: Sept. 13-19, 2026. https://www.floridahealth.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/fl-arbovirus-report-w37-2026.pdf

Pasco County Mosquito Control District, dengue information page. https://www.pascomosquito.org/dengue