The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued an alert to confirm 5 cases of malaria in the US, the first locally acquired cases of the mosquito-borne disease in 20 years. Four cases have been confirmed in Florida and one in Texas, the CDC said, adding that the incidents in the two states appear unrelated.
“Despite these cases, the risk of locally acquired malaria remains extremely low in the United States,” the CDC said, adding, “all patients have received treatment and are improving.” US authorities are now searching for more cases and in affected areas, where mosquito surveillance and control measures have been implemented.
Florida issued a mosquito-borne disease advisory after cases were discovered in Sarasota and Manatee counties, warning residents to drain standing water where mosquitoes can breed and to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants. Texas issued a health alert after the infection was diagnosed in a resident who worked outdoors in Cameron County. No other cases have been identified so far, the Texas health department said, although Anopheles mosquitoes, found across much of the United States, can transmit the disease if they feed on the blood of an infected person.
Nearly all cases of malaria that have occurred in the United States are imported by people who have traveled from countries with endemic transmission. The last locally acquired case of malaria in the United States was in 2003, when 8 cases were identified in Palm Beach County, Florida. “Malaria is a medical emergency and should be treated accordingly,” conclude the CDC.
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