- Times of India
United States – The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a malaria outbreak alert after several locally transmitted malaria cases were identified in two states in the country.
Four cases of locally transmitted malaria were found in Florida and one case in Texas in the past two months, the CDC said in an alert released on Monday.
The CDC expressed concern about a potential increase in imported malaria cases associated with increased international travel in the summer of 2023.
The agency called for the development of a plan for rapid access to artesunate injection, which is the first-line treatment for severe cases of malaria in the United States.
Ilustrasi nyamuk malaria.
- Pixabay
According to the CDC, malaria transmitted by locally transmitted mosquitoes has not occurred in the US since 2003 when eight cases were identified in Florida. Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite.
People who contract malaria usually experience fever, chills, and flu-like illness. If left untreated, sufferers can develop severe complications and even die.
About 2,000 cases of malaria are diagnosed in the US each year, and most cases occur in travelers and immigrants returning from countries where malaria transmission occurs, with many of them coming from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the CDC informed.
