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CDC issues alert after 5 cases of locally acquired malaria reported in Texas and Florida

WASHINGTON, 27th June, 2023 (WAM) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health alert to doctors, public health authorities and members of the public on Monday after documenting five cases of malaria acquired within the U.S. over the last two months.

The cases — four in Florida and one in Texas — are the first in 20 years to be acquired locally, meaning the infections were not linked to travel outside the country. The last such local cases were identified in 2003 in Palm Beach County, Florida.

There is no evidence to suggest that this year's Florida and Texas cases are related, the CDC said, adding that the risk throughout the country remains extremely low.

Malaria is a serious, sometimes fatal, disease usually transmitted by mosquitoes. The disease does not spread from person to person, but mothers can pass malaria to their fetuses during pregnancy or to their infants during delivery.

"Malaria is a medical emergency," the CDC alert said. All five patients have gotten treatment and are recovering.

The recent U.S. cases were caused by a parasite that infects mosquitos called P. vivax, according to the CDC. The parasite isn’t as deadly as some others that cause malaria, but it can lie dormant in the body and cause chronic infections months to years after an initial illness.

In its health alert, the CDC said that malaria cases may also start to rise this summer due to increased travel to and from places outside the U.S.

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