Health Advisory: Locally Acquired Malaria Case

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has been notified of a case of malaria diagnosed in a Cameron County, Texas resident who has not traveled outside the country or state. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has been working with local health departments to follow up on the case and determine whether other people may have been exposed. So far, no other locally acquired malaria cases have been identified in Texas.

Recommendations for Clinicians

Clinicians should consider malaria in patients with fever or other compatible symptoms and a history of mosquito bites and order testing as needed.

Routinely obtain a travel history to determine whether a symptomatic person spent time outdoors and got mosquito bites in an area with malaria activity.
Promptly report suspected malaria cases to your local health department.

About Malaria

Malaria is a serious and potentially fatal disease caused by a protozoan parasite from the Plasmodium genus, which can be transmitted through the bite of a mosquito of the genus Anopheles. Almost all cases of malaria in the United States are imported and occur in people who have traveled to or are coming from countries with ongoing malaria transmission. Occasional locally acquired cases occur in the United States when an Anopheles mosquito bites an infected traveler and then bites someone else. Texas averages more than 120 travel-related malaria cases a year. The last locally acquired Texas case occurred in 1994.

The most common symptoms of malaria are flu-like and include fever, shaking chills, sweats, headache, body aches, nausea, and vomiting and typically start 7 to 30 days after infection. Without treatment, severe malaria can be life-threatening and can cause disorientation, seizures and other neurological symptoms, low red blood cell counts (anemia), acute respiratory distress syndrome, and kidney damage.