2023-08-21 15:27:03
A Maryland resident contracted malaria despite not having recently traveled outside the country or to states where malaria has been detected, state health officials said Friday.
The “locally acquired” malaria case is the first of its kind in the state in decades, according to health authorities.
The patient is a DC-area resident who went to a hospital due to fever and sweating, said Dr. David Blythe, director of the Health Department’s Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Outbreak Response, on a call with reporters.
“Malaria was once common in the United States, including in Maryland, but we haven’t seen a non-travel related case in Maryland in more than 40 years,” said Department of Health Secretary Laura Herrera Scott, it’s a statement.
“We are taking this very seriously and will work with local and federal health officials to investigate this case,” he added.
The patient was hospitalized last week for a short time and has been released, according to Blythe. His age, gender and exact location were not disclosed.
The patient may have contracted malaria by being bitten by a mosquito that had previously bitten someone who had traveled, Blythe explained.
“One of the ways this could happen is if a person who has traveled to a place where malaria is more common gets the infection and comes back to Maryland, a mosquito bites that person and then bites another person who hasn’t traveled. “, he detailed.
NBC News reported in July that eight cases of locally acquired malaria had been found in the US since May, with seven cases in Florida and one case in Texas. Those cases were the first to be acquired in the country in 20 years.
Blythe also noted that the strain of malaria found in the Maryland patient is different from the strain found in patients from Florida and Texas.
Maryland health officials announced the malaria case a day after authorities reported that mosquitoes tested positive for West Nile virus at two different locations in Laurel.
What is malaria?
Originally eliminated from the US in the early 2000s, malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite. The disease cannot be spread from person to person and it takes about two weeks from the time a person is infected with the parasite to cause symptoms.
The CDC says malaria is one of the world’s most serious public health problems. Here’s what you need to know about the dangerous disease.
Some of the most common symptoms caused by malaria are fever, fatigue, headaches, and muscle aches. If left untreated, the disease can quickly become life-threatening.
Although locally acquired malaria hasn’t been reported in the US in two decades, local doctors such as Miriam Laufer, an infectious disease physician and malaria researcher at the University of Maryland, still regularly treat the disease as many travelers return international travel with the parasite.
“There are a few thousand cases of malaria each year in the United States. I care for them in the hospital here. And all of those are usually travelers who have been to areas where there is malaria transmission,” Laufer added.
Every year, around 2,000 people in the North American nation receive treatment for malaria. Most contract the disease while traveling to subtropical countries where mosquito-borne diseases are more widespread. Malaria kills about 620,000 people worldwide each year.
How to avoid contracting malaria
The risk of contracting mosquito-borne malaria remains very low, state officials said. To prevent mosquito bites or contracting malaria while traveling, here’s what the state recommends:
“Use insect repellent containing DEET on exposed skin. If weather and heat permit, wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved clothing. Keep windows and doors closed or covered with screens to keep mosquitoes out of your home. Empty standing water at least once a week to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs. Repair broken screens on windows, doors, porches, and patios Learn about health risks and precautions for malaria and other diseases at your destination before you travel If you plan to travel abroad, check with your health care provider for current recommendations on prescription drugs to prevent malaria. If you have traveled to an area where malaria transmission occurs more frequently and you experience fever, chills, headache, body aches, and fatigue, seek urgent medical attention and inform your health care provider that you have traveled.”
While the risk of malaria is low, anyone with a fever without a clear explanation can see a doctor, Blythe said.
Visit this website for information on malaria from the Maryland Department of Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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