U.S. Malaria Cases Hit 40-Year HIgh
Posted on November 2, 2013
The CDC reports that malaria cases in the U.S. have reached a 40-year high. There were 1,925 malaria cases in th U.S. in 2011 according to a report in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). This is the highest number since 1971 and a 14% increase over 2010. The CDC says there were 5 malaria deaths in 2011. Nearly all the cases were acquired overseas in Africa and India.
CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D, M.P.H, says in a release, "Malaria isn't something many doctors see frequently in the United States thanks to successful malaria elimination efforts in the 1940s. The increase in malaria cases reminds us that Americans remain vulnerable and must be vigilant against diseases like malaria because our world is so interconnected by travel."
The CDC release says common symptoms of malaria are varied but patients typically have a fever. The CDC says other common symptoms include "headache, back pain, chills, increased sweating, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and cough." The CDC says people traveling to countries where malaria transmissions are occurring can prevent the disease by using the following methods: "antimalarial drugs, insect repellent, insecticide-treated bed nets, and protective clothing." The CDC has a chart about some of the antimalarial drugs available here.