2023-07-03 14:00:39
Anopheles. ©Pixabay/Emphyrio
Ironically, the mosquito bites in the USA for the summer holiday season: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health warning following five confirmed cases of malaria were reported in Florida and Texas.
In the Texas case, the individual had not traveled abroad recently but had been working outdoors, according to the Cameron County Health Department. No other cases have occurred so far. No infected mosquitoes were found either.
All four people with malaria in Florida have been treated and have recovered, the agency said. A spokesman for the Florida Department of Health said it has increased testing and surveillance for malaria and continues to help with routine testing of the mosquito population. Health warnings are in place for Sarasota and Manatee counties.
The age of the mosquito is coming: as the world warms, these insects thrive — and bring disease. Malaria is spread when an Anopheles mosquito infected with a protozoan parasite of the genus Plasmodium bites a human.
Most cases diagnosed in the US are imported, usually following someone has traveled to a country where malaria is more common. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these malaria cases are the first locally acquired cases in the US in the last 20 years. (OF)
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