Florida Travel Vaccines

Florida Travel Vaccines 2024

The Florida Department of Health (FDH) updated its Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Surveillance Report in 2024. FDH says although vaccinated individuals can still become infected with diseases, in general, those who have been immunized have less severe outcomes than those who have never been vaccinated. FDH published its Arbovirus Surveillance update 43 on October 26, 2024, disclosing mosquito-borne diseases, including Eastern equine encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, chikungunya, dengue fever, malaria, California encephalitis group viruses (CEV), yellow fever, West Nile virus, Rift Valley fever, have been confirmed in 2024.

Florida Mosquito Advisories 

In Florida, 14 species of Anopheles mosquitoes have been found to transmit diseases to humans. As of November 2024, Alachua, Bay, Broward, Holmes, Madison, Mantatee, Nassau, Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, and Volusia counties are under a mosquito-borne illness advisory. Additionally, Duval, Hillsborough, Marion, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Walton counties are currently under a mosquito-borne illness alert.

Florida Travel Vaccination Requirements

As of November 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Canada Health, and the United Kingdom have not issued vaccination requirements when visiting Florida. The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Transportation Services Administration (TSA) have not issued any safety advisories for Florida in 2024. 

Florida Vaccine-Preventable Disease Outbreaks

Chikungunya - Nine chikungunya cases with an onset in 2024 have been reported in individuals with a travel history to Brazil (5) and India (4). Florida counties reporting chikungunya cases were Broward (2), Manatee, Miami-Dade, Orange (2), Pinellas, and Hillsborough. Four travel-related chikungunya cases were reported in 2023, and one was reported in 2022.

Dengue Fever - As of October 2024, 688 travel-associated dengue cases were reported, mainly by Brazil, Cuba, and Puerto Rico visitors. In 2024, 55 cases of locally acquired dengue were reported from six counties (Miami-Dade (33), Hillsborough (Tampa), Manatee, Monroe, Orange, Pasco, and Broward. Most of this year's dengue cases are serotyped as DENV-3 and 4. In 2023, 609 travel-associated dengue cases were reported, and 186 humans contracted dengue locally.

Leprosy - Florida reports the most leprosy (Hansen's disease) cases in the U.S., generally in Brevard County, which reported 13% of the nation's 159 leprosy cases in 2020. There are no U.S. FDA vaccines for leprosy. However, BCG vaccination offers some protection against the disease.

Malaria - In 2024, 61 cases of malaria were reported in individuals with a travel history to a malaria-endemic area, such as Africa (Nigeria), Central and South America. In 2023, seven locally acquired malaria cases were reported near Sarasota, and 78 malaria travel-related cases. The U.S. CDC published a report on September 8, 2023 - Outbreak of Locally Acquired Mosquito-Transmitted Malaria.

Measles - The Florida Department of Health in Broward County confirmed about ten measles cases occurred in early 2024.

Mpox - Since the beginning of 2023, Florida has identified 38 cases of mpox across 12 counties. Florida counties have an elevated risk for outbreaks, led by Duval County at 57%, and Hillsborough and Palm Beach counties have a 52% risk of mpox outbreaks.

Oropouche Fever - As of November 2024, 88 Oropouche cases were reported in individuals with travel history to an endemic area such as Cuba. The Florida counties reporting cases were Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Lee, Miami-Dade (51), Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco, Polk, and Sarasota.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus - The Florida Department of Health segments RSV reports into five regions. As of October 2024, RSV activity and hospitalizations had increased throughout Florida, and there was one outbreak in Miami-Dade County. 

West Nile Virus - In 2024, eight human cases of WNV illness acquired in Florida have been reported in Duval, Marion, and Walton counties. Four asymptomatic positive blood donors were reported from Manatee (August), Marion (July), and Walton (July, August) counties. In 2023, positive samples were confirmed from seven humans. In 2022, WNV-positive samples from six humans. There were ten human cases of WNV in Florida in 2021.

Zika Fever - In 2024, no cases of Zika fever were reported. Zika continues to be detected in Puerto Rico.

Disease Spreading Mosquito Prevention in Florida

The Florida Keys Mosquito Control-Oxitec Mosquito Project began in April 2021. It releases and evaluates the effectiveness of Oxitec's Friendly™ Aedes aegypti mosquitoes as disease-carrying vectors. In the three pilot seasons, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District and Oxitec have demonstrated that Oxitec non-biting, male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can reduce the local abundance of the invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito, reducing the risk of dengue and malaria infection. These male mosquito releases followed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval in March 2022.