Mosquito season brings dengue fever to Tampa Bay

Bug spray could protect you from more than just itchy bites this mosquito season.

Why it matters: This could be the worst year yet for dengue fever in North and South America. Florida has the highest number of cases in the continental U.S. according to CDC data .

• The virus spread by mosquitoes can cause fever, aches and pains, nausea, vomiting and rash.

By the numbers: Hillsborough has 14 reported cases, per the CDC.

• Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Polk all have one to four reported cases.
• Miami-Dade has the state's highest number of reported cases at 99.

Stunning stat: Puerto Rico has the most Dengue cases by far among U.S. states and territories at nearly 1,600.

How it happened: The combination of climate change and El Niño is fueling conditions that allow the disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito to spread earlier than usual and in new areas, according to the World Health Organization.

The bug picture: The number of " mosquito days " — hot and humid weather the flying insects crave — has trended upward in Tampa Bay over the past several decades, per a report last year from nonprofit research organization Climate Central.

• Mosquito season runs from March to October in Florida.

What's ahead: Hillsborough plans to spray aerial insecticides later this week, a spokesperson for the county told Axios. A spray planned for Monday was delayed.

The intrigue: Experimental test releases of genetically modified mosquitoes in Monroe County wrapped up in April.

• The altered mosquitoes, which are male, have a protein that prevents any female offspring from surviving, according to the EPA .

Between the bites: Only female mosquitoes bite, since blood helps them produce eggs. Male mosquitoes feed on flower nectar.