US detects first malaria cases in decades

SGGPO June 27, 2023 15:11

In its newly issued warning, the CDC emphasized that malaria is considered a medical emergency and recommended that anyone with symptoms of the disease should go to a medical facility for immediate examination.

Anopheles mosquitoes are the intermediate hosts that transmit the parasite that causes malaria. Photo: CDC

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has just announced that it has identified five cases of malaria, four in Florida and one in Texas, for the first time in 20 years. The CDC stated that these cases were diagnosed within the last two months.

Florida officials said the first confirmed case of malaria was on May 26 in Sarasota County. Then, on June 23, Texas officials announced that a resident of the state who worked outdoors in Cameron County was also diagnosed with the disease.

In a warning issued on June 26, the CDC emphasized that malaria is considered a medical emergency and recommended that anyone with symptoms of the disease should go to a medical facility for immediate examination.

The state of Florida has issued a malaria warning about mosquito-borne diseases, advising residents to take precautions such as not leaving standing water and using insecticides containing the compound Diethyltoluamide (DEET) to repel mosquitoes.

Texas has also issued a health alert, advising doctors to review patients' travel histories to determine whether those with malaria symptoms have been outdoors and exposed to mosquitoes in areas where malaria is endemic.

However, the CDC asserts that the risk of malaria in the US is still not of concern, most of the infected cases are cases of foreign travel .

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/my-phat-hien-cac-ca-sot-ret-dau-tien-sau-nhieu-thap-ky-post695208.html