Florida Health Official report Two more malaria cases were confirmed on Thursday, bringing the total number of locally acquired malaria cases in the United States since May to seven.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health warning On June 26, it urged hospitals to be vigilant and ready to diagnose patients with malaria symptoms quickly and start treatment with antimalarial drugs within 24 hours.
Manuel Gordillo, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, said the hospital has treated four malaria cases in Florida this year, including the first known case and two more recent cases. All were diagnosed shortly after admission, he said. Gordillo said some of the patients were homeless and had come to the hospital with fever and dehydration.
“Some of the cases seemed to ignore the symptoms and other complications appeared much later,” he said.
To the best of his knowledge, Gordillo said public health officials are not actively looking for new cases unless they visit a clinic or hospital. The Florida Department of Health did not respond to a request for information about the status of surveillance of new cases.
Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease. It is usually transmitted by mosquitoes, who transmit the parasite to humans through mosquito bites. Typical symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue. Some patients experience nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, according to the CDC. Symptoms usually appear 10 days to 4 weeks after the mosquito bite.
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