For First Time Since 2003, Malaria Is Spreading In US
Usually, almost all malaria cases reported in the U.S. come from travelers who had visited malarial countries. But the five total cases recently found in Florida and Texas are all believed to be locally acquired. Other environmental health news is on West Nile virus and a dangerous heat wave.
Bloomberg:
Malaria Spreads In US For First Time In 20 Years
Malaria has spread from mosquitoes to humans inside the US for the first time in 20 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned. Four cases of mosquito-transmitted Plasmodium vivax malaria have been reported in Florida within the last two months, and a single case was also found in Texas. All patients were said to be improving after receiving treatment. The CDC said in a health advisory that Anopheles mosquitoes, which are found throughout many regions of the country, “are capable of transmitting malaria if they feed on a malaria-infected person.” However, it stressed, the risk of catching malaria in the US is “extremely low.” (Millson, 6/27)
More on mosquitoes and West Nile virus —
Rapid City Journal:
First Human West Nile Virus Case Reported In South Dakota
The first West Nile virus human case in South Dakota has been reported in Sanborn County. No West Nile virus positive mosquito pools have been detected at this time. Last year, 2022, there were 35 WNV fever cases, 36 neuroinvasive cases, 27 hospitalizations, 2 deaths, and 13 positive blood donors reported in South Dakota residents. (Dodge, 6/26)
LAist:
The West Nile Virus Is Back, With The Pesky Mosquitoes Carrying It
Most people who get infected never know it or recover after just a bad fever, nasty headache and other symptoms. But about 1 out of 150 people who get the virus develop serious complications. West Nile virus can affect the nervous system and can cause encephalitis or swelling of the brain. It can also cause meningitis, which refers to swelling of the fluid and membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Both can cause permanent paralysis and even death. (Fortier, 6/23)
The New York Times:
How To Build A Scent Smorgasbord For Mosquitoes
Although the research is in early stages, the scientists hope that learning more about “the sensory biology of how mosquitoes track and hunt humans” could lead to better mosquito lures and repellents and, ultimately, new strategies for tackling malaria, said Dr. Conor McMeniman, a vector biologist at Johns Hopkins University. (Anthes, 6/25)
On the heat wave scorching the South —
CNN:
Deadly Texas Heat Is Spreading, And It Will Only Get Hotter
Parts of Texas have been roasting for more than two weeks and flirting with the state’s record high temperature, and now, temperatures could get even hotter and expand to other areas across the South. “Many areas outside south and south-central Texas (will) experience their most significant heat of the season thus far,” the Weather Prediction Center said on Friday. More than 90 record high temperatures could be broken this week from Texas to Missouri to Florida, with the majority of those occurring Wednesday through Friday. (Gray, 6/26)
