Jun 27, 2023 - Health

U.S. malaria cases reported for first time since 2003

Rebecca Falconer

Female Aedes aegypti mosquito in the process of seeking out a penetrable site on the skin surface of the human host, 2006. — A mosquito seeking out a penetrable site on a person's skin surface. Photo: Centers for Disease Control/James Gathany via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Malaria has been spread by mosquitos locally in the U.S. for the first time in 20 years, per a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alert issued Monday.

Driving the news: Four people in Sarasota County, Florida, and a person in Cameron County, Texas, contracted the potentially deadly disease over a period from late May to late June through local transmission, according to the CDC. "All patients have received treatment and are improving," per a CDC statement.

The Florida Department of Health in a statement Monday urged residents throughout the state to "take precautions by applying bug spray, avoiding areas with high mosquito populations, and wearing long pants and shirts when possible — especially during sunrise and sunset when mosquitos are most active."

The big picture: Some 2,000 malaria cases are typically diagnosed in the U.S. every year, but the CDC noted these infections were contracted in other countries.

People can contract the disease if they're bitten by a mosquito carrying malaria parasites.
The last U.S. outbreak occurred in 2003 in Palm Beach County, Florida, when eight malaria infections were confirmed.

What they're saying: "It's not panic time," said Brian Grimberg, an associate professor of pathology and international health at Case Western Reserve University, per the Washington Post.

"I think the message is to be aware," Grimberg added. "Americans never think about malaria unless they travel abroad."

Go deeper: "Mosquito days" are getting more common nearly nationwide

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U.S. malaria cases reported for first time since 2003

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