5 People Contract Malaria Within U.S. Borders — First Cases In 2 Decades

"For the first time in two decades, malaria infections have been confirmed in people who did not travel outside the United States, leading federal health authorities to warn about the potential for transmission of the mosquito-born disease within the nation’s borders.

Four people in Sarasota County, Fla., and one in Cameron County, Tex., were confirmed as having been infected between late May and late June through local transmission. All have gotten treatment and are recovering as health officials watch for additional cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Although the potentially fatal disease was once endemic, it was declared eliminated in the United States in 1951. About 2,000 people are diagnosed with malaria in the nation each year, but those cases have involved trips abroad. For a handful who came down with the disease in recent months, that was not the case."

Brittany Shammas reports for the Washington Post June 27, 2023.

SEE ALSO:

"What To Know About Malaria After Rare Cases Are Found In Florida, Texas" (Washington Post)

Source: Washington Post, 06/30/2023