Travel-Related Dengue Case Brings Hawaiʻi’s 2026 Total to Six

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health reported July 10 that a travel-related dengue virus case involving an Oʻahu resident brought the statewide total for 2026 to six.

Health officials deployed teams for assessment, mosquito control and other public-health response work, according to the department’s announcement. The notice is relevant across Oʻahu, including East Honolulu, because the state’s dengue surveillance and prevention efforts operate islandwide.

The department identified the newly reported infection as travel-related. That designation is important: the announcement does not describe the case as locally acquired in Hawaiʻi.

What the report does — and does not — establish

The six-case figure is a statewide count for 2026 following the July 10 report. It is not a total limited to Oʻahu, Honolulu or East Honolulu.

DOH did not identify the resident’s location within Oʻahu or specify where exposure occurred. As a result, the announcement does not establish an East Honolulu exposure, a neighborhood-level cluster or local dengue transmission in that community.

The update concerns an Oʻahu resident, but it should not be read as identifying the person’s home community. The department’s release focuses on the travel-related case and the state response rather than reporting a localized outbreak.

Surveillance, prevention and reporting

Dengue is transmitted by infected mosquitoes and can cause fever and other symptoms, according to the Department of Health. The department’s notice emphasizes travel-associated risk, recognizing symptoms, preventing mosquito bites and reporting disease concerns through public-health channels.

Suspected dengue cases should be reported through the state Disease Reporting Line at 808-586-4586, DOH said. The release frames that direction as part of disease surveillance; it does not announce a new deadline, resident eligibility program or East Honolulu-specific requirement.

For residents across Oʻahu, the July 10 report is an update on mosquito-borne disease monitoring rather than a finding that dengue was acquired locally. The available official information identifies a travel-related infection and a statewide total of six cases this year.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health provided the information in its July 10 public notice, which is also listed in the department’s 2026 news-release archive. Future case totals and response activities may change as the department issues additional updates.