Dominica reports little dengue data. The rainforest trails are where the bites are.

Yes. Dominica has Aedes aegypti, the day-biting mosquito that spreads dengue, and its rainforest interior tends to stay wet enough for mosquitoes even in winter. There is no malaria. There are also no recent public dengue figures for the island, so plan on a steady daytime repellent habit and more care on the trails.

What's known about dengue, and what isn't

The CDC's Dominica page lists dengue and Zika. There is no CDC travel notice. Recent case numbers are the missing piece. Dominica doesn't show up in the Pan American Health Organization's weekly dengue tables for late 2025 or 2026, and it is missing even from the Caribbean country list in PAHO's October 20, 2026 regional update. That suggests it may not report to PAHO's dengue system at all, so the silence can't be read as a lack of cases. We have no 2025 or 2026 figures from Dominica's Ministry of Health either.

The neighbors give some context. PAHO's late-September figures put dengue across the Caribbean 64% below the same point in 2025. In September 2026, France's public health agency described Guadeloupe as calm and Martinique as having only isolated clusters. Our Martinique & Guadeloupe briefing has their numbers. A quiet region is encouraging, though it isn't a count for Dominica.

The 2014 chikungunya outbreak

Chikungunya arrived with the first Caribbean wave, and between mid-December 2013 and mid-July 2014 Dominica counted 3,559 cases, 141 of them lab-confirmed. That was about 5% of the population, with no deaths reported, according to a study in the CDC's Emerging Infectious Diseases journal co-authored by Dominica's Ministry of Health. The outbreak ran through the winter months, a reminder that the drier season lowers mosquito numbers without ruling out transmission. There are no chikungunya reports for 2025 or 2026, and the CDC has no chikungunya vaccine recommendation for Dominica.

Dengue, Zika and chikungunya all travel with the same mosquito, which bites in daylight with peaks after sunrise and in the late afternoon. Repellent goes on over sunscreen in the morning and again before sunset. Our dengue & Zika routine has the full schedule.

Hikers get more bites

Dominica's interior holds the Boiling Lake hike, Trafalgar Falls, the Emerald Pool and Titou Gorge, all in the Morne Trois Pitons rainforest. Those wet trails are where bites tend to pile up, especially around sunset. Visitors' accounts range from almost no bugs after days of rainforest hiking to walkers covered in bites. Wear light long pants, carry a small spray in your daypack, and reapply after every swim in a pool or river, since water cuts any repellent's protection time. The CDC also lists African tick-bite fever and other tick-borne rickettsial diseases for Dominica, so check for ticks after a hike.

The coast tends to be easier, and visitors don't single out sand flies on Dominica's beaches. Mosquitoes tend to be most noticeable around sunset, so choose a screened or air-conditioned room. Visitors say they come out in force in the May–November rainy season, which a winter trip avoids.

Where you're going

Here is how the main stops compare for a December–April trip.

Two last notes. The CDC lists Zika for Dominica, though there is no current outbreak, so if you're pregnant, review the CDC's Zika guidance with a healthcare provider before you book. And any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Dominica.

Traveler questions