Florida dengue emergencies, Kentucky alpha-gal, and fleas send a school remote

This roundup covers 3 stories on fleas, mosquitoes, and ticks.

Dengue cases push three Florida counties to declare emergencies

Pasco County, Florida, declared a local state of emergency as dengue cases rise. Hillsborough and Pinellas counties did the same, and each order has a set time before it needs renewal.

People caught dengue close to home in several Florida counties. They include Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Pinellas, Orange, Pasco and Palm Beach. Miami-Dade and Pinellas each have the same number of cases.

Two kinds of mosquito spread dengue to people when they bite. The illness has known signs, and bad cases can cause serious harm. These mosquitoes also bite in set patterns.

What it means for you: People caught dengue close to home in Florida, so one mosquito bite there can spread the illness.

Source: CBS12

Alpha-gal cases rise in a Kentucky county

A tick bite can expose a person to the alpha-gal molecule and trigger an immune response. The result, alpha-gal syndrome, can cause a life-threatening allergic reaction to animal products. In Owen County, Kentucky, a county of a little over 11,000 people, awareness of alpha-gal emerged only two or three years ago.

Alpha-gal cases went from zero to one to two per week. The rate of tick-borne illness has risen since 2021. It went from 83 cases per 100,000 people in 2024 to over 300 in 2025 and 2026. Kentucky joined a minority of states that require alpha-gal reporting last year.

The lone star tick is now the most common tick in Kentucky, based on survey data, and the main suspect behind alpha-gal. Tick ranges are expanding into Kentucky from the north and south. Wildlife hosts, warmer winters and invasive plants all add to tick numbers. No clear treatment exists, so current guidance is to avoid trigger foods.

What it means for you: A lone star tick bite can cause an allergic reaction to animal products. Current guidance for those affected is to avoid trigger foods.

Source: Kentucky Lantern

Fleas push an Elk Township elementary school to remote learning

Aura Elementary School in Elk Township, Gloucester County, has moved students to remote learning because of a flea infestation. The school teaches kindergarten through sixth grade.

Staff first noticed fleas in the school library. The school closed for two days starting Sept. 17. An organic treatment came first, and a chemical treatment followed.

Gloucester County required the move to remote learning, so students will stay remote until the infestation clears. No timeline exists for a return to in-person classes, and it remains unclear whether the fleas have spread.

What it means for you: If fleas turn up at home, consider the school's approach. Aura Elementary used an organic treatment first and a chemical one second.

Source: Inquirer