Malaria cases in Texas and Florida are first US spread since 2003, CDC says
Jun 26, 2023, 4:28 PM | Updated: 5:59 pm
FILE - This 2014 photo made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a feeding female Anopheles gambiae mosquito. The species is a known vector for the parasitic disease malaria. The United States has seen five cases of malaria spread by mosquitos in the last two months...the first time there's been local spread in 20 years. There were four cases detected in Florida and one in Texas, according to a health alert issued Monday, June 26, 2023, by the CDC. (James Gathany/CDC via AP, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(James Gathany/CDC via AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — The United States has seen five cases of malaria spread by mosquitos in the last two months — the first time there’s been local spread in in 20 years.
There were four cases detected in Florida and one in Texas, according to a health alert issued Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
3 people have acquired malaria in the US. They’re the first in 20 years.
The cases, identified in Florida and Texas, raise a lot of questions.https://t.co/2PsOG9GFCl— Dr. Syra Madad (@syramadad) June 25, 2023
Malaria is caused by a parasite that spreads through mosquito bites. Infected people can suffer fever, chills and flu-like illness. If it goes untreated, infected people can develop severe complications and die. The largest death toll in recent years has been seen in children in sub-Saharan Africa.
Health officials are warning doctors, especially those in southern states where the weather is more friendly to the tropical mosquito that spreads malaria, to be aware of the possibility of infection. They also should think about how to access IV artesunate, which is the first-line treatment for severe malaria in the United States, the CDC said.
The agency also said that the people who were diagnosed received treatment and “are improving.”
GOOD NEWS! After over 70 years of tremendous effort, #Belize 🇧🇿 is officially certified by WHO as #malaria-free.
This achievement demonstrates how effective investments & robust collaboration between nations can make a significant impact in our fight to #EndMalaria… pic.twitter.com/XQ1UmzKpKh
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 21, 2023
About 2,000 U.S. cases of malaria are diagnosed each year — the vast majority in travelers coming from countries where malaria commonly spreads. Since 1992, there’ve been 11 outbreaks involving malaria from mosquitoes in the U.S.; the last one occurred in 2003 in Palm Beach County, Florida, where eight cases were reported
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