Maryland health authorities on Friday reported the state’s first locally-acquired malaria case in four decades, adding to a handful of cases that have been tracked in the United States this year.
The Maryland Department of Health said the individual, who lives in the Washington, D.C., area, was hospitalized but is now recovering. The patient did not recently travel outside the U.S. or visit Florida or Texas, where other malaria cases have been reported.
“Malaria was once common in the United States, including in Maryland, but we have not seen a case in Maryland that was not related to travel in over 40 years,” said Maryland Department of Health Secretary Laura Herrera Scott in a release. “We are taking this very seriously and will work with local and federal health officials to investigate this case.”
In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a health advisory that called on health professionals to be on the lookout for patients with malaria symptoms, which include fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting and fatigue, and to diagnose those individuals and administer drugs to treat malaria within 24 hours.
Malaria is a serious and potentially fatal disease transmitted through the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito bite. In rare cases, it can also be spread from a mother to fetus, through blood transfusion or organ transplantation or unsafe needle-sharing practices.
Symptoms usually begin 10 days to four weeks after infection, though manifestations of the disease can begin as early as seven days and as late as one year after a mosquito bite. If not treated quickly, malaria can progress to a life-threatening disease, triggering seizures, acute respiratory distress syndrome and coma.
Seven cases have been confirmed in Florida, and one case has been confirmed in Texas.
Around 240 million malaria cases occur every year, nearly all of which occur in Africa. Most U.S.-based cases occur following travel from countries with active malaria transmission, causing around 200 cases and five to 10 deaths annually.
“Malaria can be very dangerous and even fatal if it is not treated, but early treatment reduces the chances of complications,” said Maryland’s Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman. “We urge the public to take precautions against mosquito bites, and if you develop symptoms after traveling abroad, seek urgent medical care.”
