falciparum is found in dozens of countries but is most concentrated in Africa. falciparum, which is the deadliest cause of malaria. The recent locally acquired cases in Florida and Texas were caused by P. vivax, one of the two most common malaria parasites, found mostly in Asia and Latin America. ovale, a rare cause of malaria that's primarily found in sub-Saharan Africa, and P. The two species capable of doing this are P. Two species of malaria parasites can also go dormant in the liver, causing chronic and relapsing disease that requires additional treatment. If left to progress, it can develop into a severe life-threatening disease, with symptoms including mental status changes, seizures, renal failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and coma. It can also involve nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Once a person is infected, malaria symptoms begin between 10 days to four weeks later, with non-specific signs such as fever, chills, headache, myalgias, and fatigue. There are multiple species of Anopheles mosquitoes in the US capable of picking up and spreading malaria, and 32 states have reported the presence of at least one potential malaria vector. The parasites are transmitted by the bites of female mosquitoes of the Anopheles genus.

Malaria is caused by an infection with one of five protozoan parasites of the Plasmodium genus. The occasional small clusters of locally acquired cases, like the recent cases in Florida and Texas, are typically thought to be spread from an imported case, usually in a tight geographic area. The cases are mostly among people who return from travel to malaria-endemic regions. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US typically saw around 2,000 imported malaria cases each year, with around 300 severe cases and five to 10 deaths. The four infected people in Florida, who have all since recovered, were in close geographic proximity to each other, and the Texas case occurred in a person who spent time working outdoors. There is no indication that the Florida cases and the Texas case are linked in any way. So far, there have been four cases in Florida's Sarasota County and one case in Texas' Cameron County, which sits at the state's far eastern border with Mexico, where malaria is endemic. The Florida and Texas cases are the first locally acquired malaria infections in the US since 2003, the agency highlighted.

In a health alert Monday evening, the agency expressed concern that the country could see a rise in imported cases due to increased international travel this summer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning doctors to be on the lookout for malaria cases after five people who had not traveled outside of the country fell ill with locally acquired infections in Texas and Florida.

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