First locally-acquired case of malaria in over 40 years confirmed in Maryland

The Maryland Department of Health confirmed Friday the primary locally-transmitted case of malaria within the state in over 40 years.

Malaria, a mosquito-borne parasite, causes excessive fever, chills, aches, diarrhea and vomiting seven to 30 days after publicity. Maryland has round 200 travel-related circumstances of malaria every year.

Health officers famous that the contaminated particular person from the “National Capital Region” was hospitalized after which recovering, and that the affected person didn’t have any current journey overseas or to locations contained in the U.S. with current locally-transmitted malaria circumstances, reminiscent of Florida and Texas.

The National Capital Region, in MDOH parlance, refers to Montgomery, Charles, Frederick and Prince George’s Counties.

“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. We are taking this very seriously and will work with local and federal health officials to investigate this case,” MDOH Secretary Laura Herrera Scott mentioned in a press release.

Five unrelated circumstances of malaria, 4 in Florida and one in Texas, have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in late June to be the primary locally-transmitted circumstances of the parasite in the whole United States since 2003.

CDC officers mentioned that no proof existed linking the malaria circumstances within the two states. MDOH officers instructed WTOP that the Maryland case is considered a 3rd, separate pressure of the sickness as effectively.