Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.

doh

DC Health
 

DC Agency Top Menu

-A +A
Bookmark and Share

September 5, 2023 - Locally Acquired Malaria Cases Identfiied in Florida, Texas, and Maryland


Tuesday, September 5, 2023

On August 28, 2023, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Update to share new information about a case of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum identified in the National Capital Region of Maryland. This comes two months after eight cases of malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax were reported in Florida and Texas. In addition, because international travel by U.S. residents have returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, more imported malaria cases are likely. Malaria was eliminated from the United States (U.S.) in 1951, and almost all cases of malaria in the U.S. are travel-associated1. Locally acquired, mosquito-transmitted cases of malaria last occurred in 2003 when eight cases of P. vivax were identified in Florida. To date, 11 cases of imported malaria have been reported to the DC Department of Health in 2023, all directly linked to international travel. Healthcare providers are urged to remain vigilant for this serious infection, and to promptly identify and treat cases.