This week, the reporting of four malaria cases in Florida and one in Texas grabbed headlines as a disease thought eradicated decades ago in the U.S. made a surprise return.
Even though the single Lone Star State case was reported in the South Texas, infectious disease expert Dr. Bonnie M. Word — director of the Houston Travel Medicine Clinic — told the Current there’s no reason to worry.
“Sometimes, this is just a plane ride away from coming in,” Word said. “In this case, we’ve been fortunate enough that we haven’t identified another case in Texas. But it’s been four already in Florida.”
Here’s everything South Texans need to know about the malaria cases.
Why is malaria in Texas?
The most recent malaria cases are the first reported in the U.S. since 2003, causing the Centers for Disease Control along with health departments in Texas and Florida to issue public health alerts.
Indeed, the CDC considered malaria to be eradicated here in 1951, according to the agency’s website. The elimination of the tropical disease, which up until that point, was a severe problem in the U.S. South, was in large part due to the development of insecticides, bug sprays, drainage ditches and window screens, as reported by NPR.
Although malaria is no longer a major threat stateside, Word said occasional outbreaks occur, brought on by travelers to the U.S. from places that still struggle to contain the disease.
“Travel has picked up in the last year or two, and they’re going to destinations where not only malaria is present but other diseases that are transmitted by mosquitoes,” she added.
According to Word, the current malaria cases likely didn’t originate in the U.S. Instead, a person probably came from back from travel abroad while unknowingly infected. Once stateside, the victim was bit by a local mosquito, which then went on to bite another resident. This is called “local transmission.”
Is malaria deadly?
Although malaria is serious, the strain circulating in Texas and Florida, known as vivax malaria, is highly treatable, according to Word.
“Most people — a majority of people — survive,” she said. “Death is not very common at all, and rarely is there any organ damage.”
The problem for the CDC, though, is that victims of vivax malaria may not even know they’re infected for months.
According to Word, the vivax parasite can hide in the liver of victims for three months before they begin to exhibit symptoms — usually a fever, followed by chronic fatigue, nausea and diarrhea. Even though the patient isn’t showing signs, they can still unknowingly spread the disease if bitten by an uninfected mosquito.
On average, vivax malaria takes about two weeks to incubate.
How do I stay safe?
Although the recent malaria cases garnered media and CDC attention, Word said Texans should feel safe. Even so, there are precautions they can take.
“Around your home, you’ll want to get rid of any free-standing water, like bird baths or those little blowup pools outside that [children swim in],” Word said.
Word also encouraged residents to use bug spray and wear long pants. For those who don’t like the feeling of bug spray on their skin, she recommended misting clothes with permethrin, an EPA-approved bug repellent that can be applied to clothes and won’t come off in the wash for several cycles.
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This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 11, 2023.
