Malaria has found its way in the US as five locally acquired malaria cases have been documented in Texas and Florida in the last two months. This is the first time that cases of locally acquired malaria have surfaced in the country in the last 20 years.
Where have these malaria cases been detected?
As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were four cases reported in Florida while another one was detected in Texas. However, the cases in the two states do not seem to be related to each other, the CDC has said.
The four cases seen in Florida have been detected in the same area. Public health authorities have been monitoring and attempting to control the local mosquito population. Surveillance has been going on in the region to see if anyone else gets sick.
The four cases in Florida are all in the same area, so there is active surveillance in the region to see if anyone else gets sick. Public health authorities are also monitoring and trying to control the local mosquito population.
As per a report by CNN, health officials in Texas are also searching for other probable cases of malaria and monitoring the region’s mosquito population.
Following the recent cases, the CDC started warning doctors and public health officials.
The public health agency has said that all the patients who have malaria are undergoing treatment are on their way to improvement. Even with these cases, the CDC said that the risk of people catching malaria in the US is “extremely low”, media reports said.
The last time locally acquired cases of malaria were seen in the US was in 2003 when eight people fell sick in Palm Beach County in Florida.
“Malaria is a medical emergency,” an alert by the CDC said, adding that it should be treated accordingly.