Malaria cases in Texas and Florida are the first U.S. spread since 2003, the CDC says
Source: NPR
Five cases of the mosquito-borne infection malaria have been detected in the United States in the past two months, marking the first local spread in the country in 20 years.
Four of the cases were found in Florida, while the fifth was logged in Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cases are believed to be locally acquired, a statement from the organization read, though the developments pose a concern for a potential rise in imported malaria cases with increased international summer travel.
Malaria, which is mostly found in tropical countries, can be life-threatening but is preventable and curable. The World Health Organization says in 2021 there were an estimated 247 million cases of malaria worldwide. Of those cases, an estimated 619,000 people died from the disease. And it could get worse around the world, according to a scientific study published by The Lancet in 2021, which found that climate change will increase the suitability for both malaria and dengue, another mosquito-borne illness.
"Rising global mean temperature will increase the climatic suitability of both diseases particularly in already endemic areas," according to the study's authors. "The predicted expansion toward higher altitudes and temperature regions suggests that outbreaks can occur in areas where people might be immunologically naive and public health systems unprepared."
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/27/1184458169/malaria-cases-in-texas-and-florida-are-the-first-u-s-spread-since-2003-the-cdc-s
Walleye
(45,914 posts)Course its kind of hard to take care of mosquito problem in Florida when youre standing in San Francisco badmouthing the whole state
BumRushDaShow
(174,162 posts)The now-gone La Nina weather pattern (replaced with an El Nino) resulted in an unusually wet winter in FL when you normally have it so dry there seasonally, that the little talked about - I guess for P.R. purposes - wildfires are typical. So the 'skeeters are out in force.
ancianita
(43,453 posts)My experience is that white attracts insects, and last year my white house was surrounded by mosquitoes. This year, however, there have been hardly any, even after monsoony days. I'm puzzled, but summer's not near over.
From what I've gathered, Floridians don't seriously look to DeSantis for help. He's only here for what the state billionaires want.
ancianita
(43,453 posts)get prescriptions for Malarone and Chloroquine. I've had dengue, and thought I was going to die. Down here, one never knows. I'll be checking with my doctor.
BumRushDaShow
(174,162 posts)is what my dad would call dengue, as so many of the WWII vets like himself stationed in the Pacific Theater, came down with it, and that was the best description of it (and the term ended up in the lexicon).
tanyev
(50,010 posts)IronLionZion
(51,759 posts)There are plenty of treatments for Malaria. No need to panic. https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/diagnosis_treatment/clinicians1.html
GB_RN
(3,603 posts)I mean, they can practically write themselves!😂
But in all seriousness, this is bad news. The good news is that there are now a couple of vaccines to prevent malaria (at least for kids) and other agents in development.
DBoon
(25,308 posts)it becomes impossible to mitigate its predicted effects, including the spread of tropical diseases northward.
Traildogbob
(13,337 posts)The rising seas and some of the most catastrophic results may take decades to really show itself in horrible outcomes. But what is happening now and will get worse really fast is tropical ecosystem's will migrate north and bring with it insects and diseases that can devastate populations. And with these anti vaxxers like Kennedy, there may be a huge thinning of stupid to follow. What if Ebola started rampaging those lower states as the tropics take them over. Will they get a Vax if one gets developed, when they start pissing blood out of their eyeballs, and call it a Biden Woke Hoax?
We may need to consider a wall above those red southern states to keep out those non woke white immigrants fleeing their own ecological catastrophes seeking a better life. Caravans of rapists, murderers and diseased repubs coming to take our jobs.
Just a thought, but science can be predicted. History provided facts, but thats a bad thing. Too woke.
republianmushroom
(22,963 posts)No locust but lots of mosquito.
area51
(12,808 posts)started the School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, both to help other countries and to prepare for climate change here in the states.