Current:Home > Contact-usMalaria cases in Texas and Florida are the first U.S. spread since 2003, the CDC says-LoTradeCoin
Malaria cases in Texas and Florida are the first U.S. spread since 2003, the CDC says
View Date:2024-12-23 23:44:21
Five cases of the mosquito-borne infection malaria have been detected in the United States in the past two months, marking the first local spread in the country in 20 years.
Four of the cases were found in Florida, while the fifth was logged in Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cases are believed to be locally acquired, a statement from the organization read, though the developments pose a concern for a potential rise in imported malaria cases with increased international summer travel.
Malaria, which is mostly found in tropical countries, can be life-threatening but is preventable and curable. The World Health Organization says in 2021 there were 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, according to a scientific study published by The Lancet in 2021, which found that climate change will increase the suitability for both malaria and dengue, another mosquito-borne illness.
"Rising global mean temperature will increase the climatic suitability of both diseases particularly in already endemic areas," according to the study's authors. "The predicted expansion toward higher altitudes and temperature regions suggests that outbreaks can occur in areas where people might be immunologically naive and public health systems unprepared."
Mild symptoms of malaria include fever, chills and headaches, according to WHO, while severe symptoms can include difficulty breathing, fatigue, confusion and even seizures. However, it is preventable with medicine and taking measures to not get bit by mosquitoes carrying the organism.
The CDC said all of the recent cases in the U.S. have received treatment, "and are improving."
About 2,000 cases of malaria are logged in the U.S. each year, according to the agency. The last time mosquito-borne malaria occurred in the U.S. was in 2008, when eight cases were identified in Palm Beach County, Fla.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- One person is dead after a shooting at Tuskegee University
- Judge rejects Trump's counterclaim against E. Jean Carroll
- 'A full-time job': Oregon mom's record-setting breastmilk production helps kids worldwide
- U.S. Navy sends 4 destroyers to Alaska coast after 11 Chinese, Russian warships spotted in nearby waters
- Kraft Heinz stops serving school-designed Lunchables because of low demand
- 'Less lethal shotguns' suspended in Austin, Texas, after officers used munitions on 15-year-old girl
- Body found off popular Maryland trail believed to be missing woman Rachel Morin; police investigating death as homicide
- Niger’s neighbors and the UN seek to deescalate tensions with last-minute diplomacy
- Wreck of Navy destroyer USS Edsall known as 'the dancing mouse' found 80 years after sinking
- After singer David Daniels' guilty plea, the victim speaks out
Ranking
- New 'Yellowstone' is here: Season 5 Part 2 premiere date, time, where to watch
- Biden jokes he can relate with Astros' Dusty Baker, oldest manager to win World Series
- Paramount to sell Simon & Schuster to private equity firm KKR for $1.62 billion
- Book excerpt: My Name Is Iris by Brando Skyhorse
- Bill on school bathroom use by transgender students clears Ohio Legislature, heads to governor
- Michigan now the heavyweight in Ohio State rivalry. How will Wolverines handle pressure?
- USWNT must make changes if this World Cup is to be exception rather than new norm
- A Florida man is charged with flooding an emergency room after attacking a nurse and stripping
Recommendation
-
Disruptions to Amtrak service continue after fire near tracks in New York City
-
Josh Duggar's appeal in child pornography case rejected by appeals court
-
The best strategies for winning the Mega Millions jackpot, according to a Harvard statistician
-
The best strategies for winning the Mega Millions jackpot, according to a Harvard statistician
-
Advance Auto Parts is closing hundreds of stores in an effort to turn its business around
-
Kim Kardashian Shares She Broke Her Shoulder
-
Teen said 'homophobic slurs' before O'Shae Sibley killing: Criminal complaint
-
Inundation and Injustice: Flooding Presents a Formidable Threat to the Great Lakes Region