Malaria, a severe and potentially fatal disease most often caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, has been reported in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a health advisory because there have been instances of people getting infected with Plasmodium vivax malaria in Florida and Texas, even though they hadn’t traveled outside the country. Malaria does not spread from person to person.
“Malaria is caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium, that are usually injected into people through the bite of a mosquito,” says Dr. Bobbi Pritt, director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Pritt says most people become infected with Plasmodium parasites through the bite of an infected Anopheles species mosquito.
“Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest of the Plasmodium parasites. But occasionally, Plasmodium vivax can also cause human fatalities, and all of the malaria species can cause quite severe disease. Malaria is usually transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles female mosquito. The parasite is injected into the bloodstream through the mosquito’s bite when she takes a blood meal. Less commonly, people can get infected with malaria through a transfusion receipt of an infected blood product or organ donation by receipt of an infected organ,” she says.
These parasites invade red blood cells, leading to fever, chills, body aches and fatigue. Additional symptoms may include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Without timely treatment, the infection can worsen, resulting in organ failure, coma or death.
Malaria is found in many parts of the world, mainly in the tropics and subtropics. Although historically, malaria has been found in many other parts of the world. The mosquitoes that transmit malaria are still present in the U.S. today.
It was eliminated in the U.S. in 1951 through public health efforts. Most cases are now imported from…
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