- Locally acquired malaria in Arkansas.
- Concerns of disease resurgence.
- New malaria vaccine approved.
A confirmed case of malaria has emerged in Arkansas, marking the first instance of locally acquired malaria in the state for at least four decades. The patient, who remains unidentified, is a resident of Saline County and had no recent international travel history.
Arkansas becomes the fourth state to document a locally acquired case of the disease this year, further indicating that the disease might be reestablishing itself in the United States after a twenty-year absence. The patient is the tenth individual to contract the infection on American soil this year.
State deputy health officer Dr. Naveen Patil stated that this was the first time since at least 1980 that a local case of malaria had been identified in Arkansas. He told the local news channel KARK, “Since we began tracking, perhaps thirty to forty years ago, there has not been a single case of locally acquired malaria in our state.”
This year, Arkansas has documented five additional cases of malaria; however, each of these cases was associated with international travel.
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At this time, the local health department is collecting and analyzing mosquito samples to determine the possible source of the local case. Subsequently, pesticide application may be conducted in regions where malaria-carrying mosquitoes are present.
Malaria is not transmissible between humans; however, mosquitoes can acquire the disease by biting a malaria patient and subsequently transmit it to another human through bite-to-bite contact.
Local malaria transmission in the US has stopped since 2003, when eight cases were reported in Florida. International travellers and, occasionally, local mosquitoes spread the disease.
This year, concerns were raised following the detection of seven locally acquired cases in Sarasota County, Florida.
A case was identified in a Texas resident stationed along the border with Mexico. A case was also identified in a Maryland resident residing in the state’s National Capital Region, adjacent to Washington, D.C.
Malaria was eradicated from the United States in the 1950s. However, experts are concerned that international travel may contribute to the disease’s return. They warn that malaria-carrying mosquitoes could enter the US on planes, boats, or with foreign patients.
In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning to physicians regarding the disease, advising them to be especially vigilant in patients who were experiencing fever.
Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Common symptoms include fatigue, nausea, fever, chills, headache, and muscle pains. Without treatment, these conditions may progress to potentially fatal complications such as organ failure and anemia.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of people worldwide succumb to malaria. In 2021, malaria was responsible for 619,000 fatalities. Most cases can be treated, but severe cases nearly always kill.
About 2,000 US malaria cases are reported annually, with 300 developing serious illnesses and 5-10 dying.
This development comes after the World Health Organization approved a novel and more efficacious malaria vaccine, the second produced by the University of Oxford to receive clearance for use, following another authorized in 2021.
