Special Pathogens of Concern Situation Report: Malaria: August 10, 2023

On the NETEC Situation Report for August 10, 2023, Dr. Corri Levine, a NETEC expert and virologist at The University of Texas Medical Branch shares three things you should know about malaria in the United States.
1. Since the start of the year, eight cases of locally acquired malaria have been diagnosed, including seven in Florida and one in Texas. These are the first locally acquired cases reported in the United States since 2003. Typically, cases are seen in travelers who were infected while visiting a country where malaria is endemic.
2. It is suspected that the cases in Florida and Texas originated from infected travelers and were spread locally by mosquitoes; however, cases like this may appear more frequently due to increased travel and climate change. In areas of the U.S. that are experiencing extreme weather events, the longer, hotter summers and more intense storms are expanding the geographic range and seasonality of the mosquitoes that carry diseases like malaria and dengue fever.
3. With the expectation that we will see more cases in the U.S., health care providers should be alert for cases of malaria and remind patients to use mosquito repellent, wear long sleeves and pants, especially at dawn and dusk, and dump standing water near their homes. Malaria is a medical emergency, and if you suspect a patient has malaria, it's critical to provide rapid diagnosis and treatment with antimalarial drugs within 24 hours of presentation.
Learn more about malaria and find health care-related resources at netec.org.