The Florida Department of Health issued a statewide malaria advisory Monday after Sarasota County reported four cases since last month.
The cases are the first in the last two decades contracted in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This means that house mosquitoes may be infected with the virus and could spread it further. Malaria is a vector-borne disease, so it is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito rather than person-to-person.
Health facilities have been reported in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties 16 cases of malaria since early 2022. But these infections originated in countries where malaria is common and were reported because infected travelers returned to Florida for treatment.
The local spread “certainly raises eyebrows,” said Jae Williams, press secretary for the Florida Department of Health. All four infected people denied recent international travel. Williams said he could not release more information about those infected because doing so would violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the federal law that protects patients’ health privacy.
The department is taking a “proactive” approach to prevent further spread by issuing a statewide advisory and tracking new cases, Williams said. Typically, he said, isolated cases of malaria in international travelers do not provoke such an aggressive response.
Sarasota County’s first case was announced to the public on May 26. A second case was reported on June 19, prompting state health officials to place Sarasota and Manatee counties under surveillance. malaria alert.
On Monday, the state health department revealed that Sarasota County’s malaria case count it went up to four. All infected people have been treated and recovered, the department said in announcing its statewide advisory.
Williams compared the distinction between a malaria alert in Sarasota County and a statewide malaria advisory to the difference between a hurricane watch and a hurricane warning. An advisory means the public may be affected and should take precautions, while an alert indicates an increased risk of contracting the disease.
For the average person, said Amy Vittor, an infectious disease expert at the University of Florida, the risk of contracting malaria is “extremely low.”
“Even though there are scattered cases, that doesn’t mean it’s widespread,” he said. “Secondly, our lifestyle as Floridians typically means we’re indoors a lot, especially in the warmer months, which protects us from mosquito bites.”
Florida is not the only state where a domestic spread of malaria has been identified. Texas has reported one case.
Each of the five American cases came from a parasite known as P. vivax, which is spread through female Anopheles mosquitoes, a common species in Florida.
Malaria symptoms usually appear after 10 days four weeks after infection, according to the CDC. The most common symptoms include high fever, chills, headache, and fatigue, as well as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and anemia.
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Patient outcomes are “it is expected to be good” with treatment, according to UF Health. If the disease is not treated, it can become fatal.
Health officials offered some tips for enjoying the outdoors during the Fourth of July weekend while avoiding mosquito bites:
Residents are asked to “drain” and “cover.” This means draining any sources of standing water, such as birdbaths and gutters, where mosquito larvae could proliferate, and covering the skin with clothing or repellent. Swimming pools must be kept well chlorinated.Toddlers should not apply repellent to their hands, and babies under 2 months should be protected with mosquito net instead of repellent, the state health department said Monday.The species of mosquito that causes malaria reproduces clean water sources, such as lakes and ponds, said Jim Swayne, owner of pest control company Safer Home Services. Municipalities and property owners can treat bodies of water with chemicals such as larvicides and insect growth regulators, which limit mosquito larvae.
Williams urged people who start to feel feverish and unwell to get tested and, if necessary, treated for malaria as soon as possible. Vittor added that doctors should do follow-up treatment against malaria, as the P. vivax parasite can be dormant in the liver after the initial infection clears.
The last time malaria spread in the United States was also in Florida. Eight cases of local transmission were reported in Palm Beach County in 2003.
