7 malaria cases confirmed in Florida. What to know and how to protect yourself

Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal
Updated ·5 min read

If Floridians didn’t have enough reasons to dislike mosquitos, they now have another one — malaria.

Health officials in Sarasota and Manatee counties issued a mosquito-borne illness alert in the two counties in June after it identified two malaria cases.

The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) announced the discovery of the first case in a May 26 press release after it confirmed a case of malaria in a person “who spent extensive time outdoors” in Sarasota County.

A second case was confirmed in June 19 release, cautioning residents to take precautionary steps to avoid their exposure to mosquitoes as FDOH works with its local partners and county mosquito control to mitigate the risk of further transmission.

Here’s what Floridians need to know about the malaria cases in Florida.

How many malaria cases are in Florida?

There have been seven reports of locally acquired malaria cases in Florida as of Aug. 12, according to the Florida Department of Health's latest weekly arbovirus surveillance report.

That number is separate from the 38 reported malaria cases reported in individuals with a travel history to a malaria-endemic area.

In Sarasota-Manatee: What are Sarasota-Manatee officials doing to reduce Malaria cases? Here's what to know

Where are the malaria cases?

The malaria cases were confirmed in Sarasota and Manatee counties, which are located between Tampa and Fort Meyers on the west coast of the Florida peninsula.

The first case was confirmed to have occurred in Sarasota, but an FDOH-Sarasota County spokesperson told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that they weren’t authorized to disclose the location of the second case.

The patient was promptly treated at a hospital and is recovering, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sarasota and Manatee are two of five Florida counties where mosquito-borne illness health advisories have been issued this year, according to the Collier Mosquito Control District.

What is being done to mitigate malaria transmission in Florida?

FDOH-Sarasota and FDOH-Manatee are working with their local partners and county mosquito control to coordinate aerial and ground mosquito spraying in the area to mitigate the risk of further transmission.

Sarasota County government posted on May 30 and June 2 that it planned to spray those nights in the area south of University Avenue, between Bradenton Road and North Lockwood Ridge Road. The county has posted several times since about upcoming mosquito treatments, including on June 12, when it said it planned to spray in the area north of Myrtle Street, between Central Avenue and Taylor Avenue.

On Monday, an aerial treatment to kill adult mosquitoes was issued for rural Sarasota along Lorraine Road, north of Highway 72, according to Sarasota Mosquito Management Services.

Manatee County has several ground treatments planned in West Bradenton, G.T. Bray Park, an area north of Braden River High School and others, according to the Manatee County Mosquito Control District.

Second malaria case confirmed: Second case of malaria confirmed in the Sarasota-Manatee area

Do Floridians outside of Sarasota and Manatee counties need to worry?

At this point in time, the only other recently issued mosquito-borne illness alerts issued in Florida happened on June 6 in Orange County after a single flock of chickens tested positive for the Easter Equine Encephalitis virus. Residents were notified and asked to take the same precautionary measures to avoid mosquito bites.

What species of malaria was found in Florida?

The FDOH identified the case as the P. vivax species of malaria, which it says is not as fatal as other species.

What is the risk of contracting malaria?

Malaria is not transmitted from person to person, according to the FDOH.

Most malaria cases in the U.S. are imported from people who contract the disease after traveling abroad. The risk of locally acquired malaria is rare, according to the CDC, but still possible as there are Anopheles mosquito vectors throughout the country. Anopheles mosquitoes are a genus of mosquitoes that are known to carry malaria pathogens, plasmodia.

How is malaria transmitted?

Anopheles mosquito
Anopheles mosquito

Malaria is primarily transmitted from infective female Anopheles mosquitoes, according to the CDC. Anopheles mosquitoes are the only type of mosquitoes that transmit the disease and they must have been infected through a previous blood meal taken from an infected person.

What is malaria?

Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito that feeds on humans, according to the CDC. People who get malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills and flu-like illness.

How to avoid contracting malaria

The best way to mitigate the risk of contracting malaria is to reduce the chance of being bitten by a mosquito. While that may sound like a futile battle, there are some practical tips to follow.

  • Use an EPA-registered insect repellent with one of the following active ingredients:

    • DEET

    • Picaridin (known as KBR 3023 and icaridin outside the US)

    • IR3535

    • Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE)

    • Para-menthane-diol (PMD)

    • 2-undecanone

  • Wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants to protect your arms and legs

  • Use screens on windows and doors. Repair holes in screens to keep mosquitoes outdoors

  • Use air conditioning

  • Stop mosquitoes from laying eggs in or near water

    • Drain water from garbage cans, buckets, pool covers, flowerpots or any other container where water has accumulated.

    • Clean birdbaths and pet water bowls.

    • Keep swimming pools in good condition

What are the signs and symptoms of malaria

Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may also occur.

Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. If not promptly treated, the infection can become severe and may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma and death, according to the CDC.

Is there a malaria vaccine?

There is no malaria vaccine yet. The CDC says that vaccine clinical trials are ongoing, but the complexity of the malaria parasite — along with its complicated life cycle — make endeavors tricky. The parasite can evade the body’s immune system by changing its surface, making it difficult to develop an effective vaccine.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Malaria cases in Florida crop up. What you should know to avoid it