AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Public Health said the entity is going to continue to “monitor the situation” after a Texas resident who had not traveled outside the state or country became infected with malaria.
Malaria is a serious, potentially fatal disease caused by a parasite that can be transmitted to a human through the bite of a mosquito. According to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, this is the first locally acquired case in Texas in almost 30 years.
The infected man reportedly works outdoors and lives in Cameron County – around 330 miles from Austin – per the DSHS. The CDC reported he has received treatment and his condition is improving.
“In Texas, we, on average – according to the [DSHS] – see 120 or so cases a year that are related to persons who have traveled to areas where malaria is present,” said Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin Public Health Medical Director. The highest transmission of the disease is found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert, according to the CDC.
“We have not seen cases [in Austin] that were not related to travel,” Walkes continued. “This is still being investigated, and if we take best precautions…we can protect ourselves from developing malaria.”
Walkes said while this incident is not local, APH has advised community members to protect themselves from mosquito bites. Recommended precautions include covering skin with clothing, avoiding being outdoors at dusk and dawn, using repellant with DEET and draining standing water to reduce mosquito breeding.
Common symptoms of malaria are flu-like and include fever, shaking, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, nausea and vomiting. These symptoms typically start between seven and 30 days following the infection and can exacerbate if the disease goes untreated, per the DSHS.
APH said it’s given information on the disease to local providers and that it will continue to monitor the situation. So far, DSHS has not detected any other locally acquired Texas cases since the Cameron County one.
In the last two months, four cases of malaria were detected within close proximity of each other in Florida. The CDC reported that there is no evidence to suggest that the cases in Flordia are related to the Cameron County one.
There have been no cases of locally acquired malaria in the United States since 2003, when there were eight in Florida, per the CDC.
AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Public Health said the entity is going to continue to “monitor the situation” after a Texas resident who had not traveled outside the state or country became infected with malaria.
Malaria is a serious, potentially fatal disease caused by a parasite that can be transmitted to a human through the bite of a mosquito. According to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, this is the first locally acquired case in Texas in almost 30 years.
The infected man reportedly works outdoors and lives in Cameron County – around 330 miles from Austin – per the DSHS. The CDC reported he has received treatment and his condition is improving.
“In Texas, we, on average – according to the [DSHS] – see 120 or so cases a year that are related to persons who have traveled to areas where malaria is present,” said Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin Public Health Medical Director. The highest transmission of the disease is found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert, according to the CDC.
“We have not seen cases [in Austin] that were not related to travel,” Walkes continued. “This is still being investigated, and if we take best precautions…we can protect ourselves from developing malaria.”
Walkes said while this incident is not local, APH has advised community members to protect themselves from mosquito bites. Recommended precautions include covering skin with clothing, avoiding being outdoors at dusk and dawn, using repellant with DEET and draining standing water to reduce mosquito breeding.
Common symptoms of malaria are flu-like and include fever, shaking, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, nausea and vomiting. These symptoms typically start between seven and 30 days following the infection and can exacerbate if the disease goes untreated, per the DSHS.
APH said it’s given information on the disease to local providers and that it will continue to monitor the situation. So far, DSHS has not detected any other locally acquired Texas cases since the Cameron County one.
In the last two months, four cases of malaria were detected within close proximity of each other in Florida. The CDC reported that there is no evidence to suggest that the cases in Flordia are related to the Cameron County one.
There have been no cases of locally acquired malaria in the United States since 2003, when there were eight in Florida, per the CDC.