MALARIA has been detected in the southern United States for the first time in 2 decades, with Florida and Texas reporting a combined total of five locally acquired cases.
Patients are said to be improving from their symptoms.
In response, aerial treatments to kill mosquitoes will be carried out in Sarasota County, Florida, where a cluster of four cases was identified. Texas’ Cameron County also reported a case.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory for malaria, urging vigilance among doctors and residents, particularly in warm areas favorable to mosquitoes.
William Pan, an associate professor of population studies and global environmental health at the Duke University Global Health Institute said the United States has not had malaria for about 20 years and that it was eradicated back in the 50s.
He added that if it the disease were to reintroduce itself in the US just like other places around the world, it would pose a major health disaster.
“We haven’t had malaria in the United States for 20 some years, and it was eradicated back in the 50s.”
“If it were to reintroduce itself in the U.S., just like other places around the world, it would pose a major health disaster,” William Pan, Associate Professor, Duke University Global Health Institute said.
Note, malaria is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites and can have severe health consequences.
Climate change is feared to contribute to the spread of mosquitoes and diseases associated with warmer regions.
