Florida records seventh case of locally transmitted malaria

Florida announced on Tuesday that it has recorded another case of locally acquired malaria in the state, bringing its total this year to seven cases and the US total this year to eight cases.

State health officials said the case was reported in Sarasota County, which is in the same location cases have been recorded earlier this month. An eighth case in the United States was reported in June in Cameron County, Texasand it is not believed to be linked to the Florida cases.

The cases in Florida and Texas are the first local cases of malaria in the United States in 20 years.

SEE MORE : 2 additional locally acquired malaria cases reported in Florida, i.e. 6

There are about 2,000 annual cases of malaria reported in the United States, but the vast majority come from people who have traveled abroad to areas with known malaria transmission.

The CDC considers malaria to have been eliminated in the United States in 1951, thanks to factors such as better screening and air conditioning that sealed buildings, and a level of urban development that reduced overall contact of the population with disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Most cases of malaria are transmitted by infected female mosquitoes and are relatively more common in southern states.

CDC officials told NBC News there was unlikely to be any significant spread of malaria in the United States due to the Florida cases.

SEE MORE : CDC warns of local cases of malaria – here’s how to prevent infection

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