CARACAS.- Twenty years after the eradication of the malaria in USAa disease transmitted by mosquitoes, unprecedented in the American country, reappears due to a chain of transmission, detected in the last two months, for which the authorities have issued an alert.
Health authorities confirmed four cases of people infected with malaria in Sarasota County, Florida and one in Cameron County, south of Texas, which already received treatment and are recovered. This situation had not occurred in the country since 2003.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in both areas, reported that the mosquitoes have been analyzed, while the control districts are working to prevent proliferation in both entities.
Local malaria is rare, some 2,000 people contract it each year, when traveling to an endemic country, where they have been bitten by an infected mosquito. According to the World Health Organization, Every year there are about 247 million cases in the world, and in all of them the human is the host of the disease; mosquitoes only carry it between people.
On the other hand, figures from the Pan American Health Organization show that the number of people affected increased from 482,000 cases reported in 2015, to 520,000 in 2021, in the American region.
Local outbreaks due to resident travel
The trips of residents to other countries with risk areas, which do not have the disease under control, can be the cause of the generation of new outbreaks in countries like the United States that had already eliminated malaria decades ago.
Citizens who are infected with the parasites that cause malaria in other countries, upon returning to the United States, may be bitten by local mosquitoes that then transmit it to other people.
Climate change influences the spread of malaria
Malaria is more common in countries with hot climates, however, although there is still no evidence that the 5 cases in Texas and Florida are due to climate change; The increase in temperatures and global warming can be the cause of the proliferation of malaria.
Preventive measures
Among the protection measures against mosquitoes that transmit malaria are avoiding mosquito bites with the use of repellent, dressing in long shirts and pants, using mosquito nets, among others.
It is also important to be informed about the risk of malaria and its symptoms, which can present 10 or 15 days after infection with fever, headache and chills, although in some cases these symptoms can be mild and it is difficult to attribute them to malaria. In case of presenting symptoms similar to malaria, early medical help should be sought for a correct diagnosis and treatment, either during the trip or upon returning from it.
According to specialists, the spread of malaria can be easily prevented with a prevention plan that takes into account the number of people entering the United States from endemic areas, such as tourists, emigrants or asylum seekers, and refugees, who may spread the disease.
FOUNTAIN: Lydnel Reyes
