This 2014 photo provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a female Anopheles gambiae mosquito eating. This species is known to be the vector of malaria parasites.
James Gathany/AP
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James Gathany/AP
This 2014 photo provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a female Anopheles gambiae mosquito eating. This species is known to be the vector of malaria parasites.
James Gathany/AP
Five cases of mosquito-borne malaria have been detected in the United States in the past two months, marking the first local transmission in the country in 20 years.
Four of the cases were found in Florida, while the fifth case was recorded in Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cases are believed to be locally acquired, a statement from the organization said, although these developments raise concern about the potential for an increase in imported malaria cases with an increase in international travel. economy in the summer.
Malaria, mainly found in tropical countries, can be life-threatening but preventable and curable. World Health Organization says By 2021, there will be an estimated 247 million cases of malaria worldwide. Of those cases, an estimated 619,000 people died from the disease.
And it could get worse around the world a scientific study published by Fingertips in 2021found that climate change would increase the likelihood of both malaria and dengue, another mosquito-borne disease.
“Increasing global mean temperatures will increase the climate relevance of both diseases, particularly in areas where the disease is already endemic,” the study’s authors said. “The predicted expansion of regions of higher altitudes and temperatures suggests that outbreaks can occur in areas where people may be immune and public health system naive. unprepared.”
According to the WHO, mild symptoms of malaria include fever, chills and headache, while severe symptoms can include shortness of breath, fatigue, confusion and even seizures. However, it can be prevented with medication and measures taken to avoid being bitten by a mosquito that carries the virus.
The CDC says all recent cases in the US have been treated “and are improving”.
About 2,000 cases of malaria are recorded in the US each year, according to the agency. The last time mosquito-borne malaria occurred in the United States was in 2008, when eight cases were identified in Palm Beach County, Fla.
