Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes
The cases have occurred in Florida and Texas and have officials concerned
Washington – Bandar Al Doshi
Posted on: June 29, 2023: 09:59 AM GST Last updated: June 29, 2023: 10:30 AM GST
The US health authorities announced the discovery of 5 new cases of malaria, one in the state of Texas and 4 in the state of Florida. Officials worried Because the native American mosquito appears to carry the parasite that causes the disease.
And malaria has not been discovered since 2003, that is, 20 years ago, inside America, as the last discovery was in Palm Beach County, Florida, according to the Centers for Disease and Prevention.
The concern is that these five new cases are in people who have not traveled abroad, a sign that local mosquitoes can transmit the disease to other people.
“It’s always concerning to have local transmission of a disease in an area,” Estelle Martin, an entomologist at the University of Florida who researches mosquito-borne diseases, told Vox.
Expressive
Symptoms of malaria include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fatigue, according to the CDC.
If not treated promptly, the infection can cause jaundice, anemia, kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death. Malaria can be cured when diagnosed early enough and a vaccine is now available for this serious disease.
These newly discovered cases show how a warming climate can increase the risk of diseases carried by mosquitoes, ticks or other insects (known as disease vectors).
The malaria-infected mosquitoes were found in a wetland area in Sarasota County, where all four Florida cases occurred.
Local officials used insecticides that kill both adult and juvenile forms of mosquitoes.
“We’ve been able to confirm that the mosquito population in that area is very low,” Wade Brennan, Sarasota County’s director of mosquito control, wrote to Vox by email. The Texas case also occurred in Cameron County in southern Texas, along the Texas-Mexico border.
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2023-06-29 05:59:00
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