Experts warn that we should be prepared for more dengue in the US and around the world. ‘Hawaii is a piece of a much bigger phenomenon that’s happening globally,’ says Dr. Peter Hotez at Baylor College of Medicine. It’s peak tourism season in Hawaii, and the state’s Department of Health has issued a warning for visitors and residents: dengue fever is spreading on the Big Island. More than 150 people on Hawaii Island have been infected with the mosquito-borne virus.