The United States has recorded five cases of mosquito-borne malaria in the past two months, the first time there has been a local contagion in 20 years.
Four cases were detected in Florida and one in Texas, according to a health alert issued Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym in English).
Health officials are warning doctors, especially those in southern states where the climate is friendlier to the tropical mosquito that spreads malaria, to be aware of the possibility of infection.
They should also think about how to access intravenous artesunate, which is the first-line treatment for severe malaria in the United States, the CDC said.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE CASES IN FLORIDA
The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) issued a state alert after confirming four cases of malaria in Sarasota County.
The agency also said that the people who were diagnosed received treatment and “are doing better.”
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE CASE IN TEXAS
He Texas Department of Health and Human Services (DHSH) said that the person newly diagnosed with malaria is a state resident who spent time working outdoors in Cameron County.
“DSHS has been working with local health departments to follow up on the case and determine if other people may have been exposed,” they added in the statement. To date, no other locally acquired malaria cases have been identified in Texas.
Malaria is a serious and life-threatening disease caused by a parasite that can be transmitted through the bite of a mosquito.
WHAT IS MALARIA AND WHAT ARE ITS SYMPTOMS
Malaria is caused by a parasite that is spread through mosquito bites. Infected people may experience fever, chills, and flu-like illnesses.
Texas DHSH recommends that people protect themselves from mosquito bites by using repellents when outdoors, covering up with long-sleeved shirts and pants, and trying to keep mosquitoes out of the home.
If left untreated, infected people can develop serious complications and die. The highest number of deaths in recent years has been seen in children in sub-Saharan Africa.
About 2,000 cases of malaria are diagnosed in the US each year, the vast majority in travelers coming from countries where malaria is commonly spread. Since 1992, there have been 11 mosquito-borne malaria outbreaks in the US; the last occurred in 2003 in Palm Beach County, Florida, where eight cases were reported.
The Texas case is the first case of local spread in almost 30 years; the last locally acquired case was in 1994.
