Possible local malaria found in New Jersey. Here’s what you need to know

Mosquito disease can make breakthroughs in the United States. New Jersey officials are now investigating whether the malaria infection of a resident has been acquired locally.

New Jersey (NJDOH) health departments and environmental protection reported on the case on Monday. The resident had not recently traveled, suggesting that they probably caught it to local mosquitoes. If this is the case, this would be the first case of malaria acquired locally observed in the State in more than three decades, but not the first case of this type reported in the country this year.

The parasite that loves blood

Malaria is caused by several species of the single cell parasite Plasmodium. When an infected mosquito transmits the disease to a person, the parasites will first invade certain tissues (usually the liver), will then reproduce and infect the red blood cells. A small percentage of parasites in the blood circulation will turn into a stage of life which can newly infect and develop inside mosquitoes that bite the person, start the cycle again.

Symptoms of malaria, which include fatigue, chills and other pseudo-grippal diseases, are caused by damage caused by infection to our blood cells. Although most people survive their episode of malaria, this can also cause potentially fatal complications such as crises, renal failure and sepsis. Even with the treatments available today, malaria still kills around 600,000 people worldwide each year, making it one of the deadliest diseases in the world.

Malaria was once a common threat to the United States, especially in warmer areas during the summer. But a dedicated public health campaign, which included mosquito spray programs and the elimination of breeding sites, has eradicated the disease in the 1950s. Since then, almost all cases of malaria reported in the United States have been linked to travel, coming from places where the disease is endemic. But the potential for the repression of malaria remains.

A mystery of mosquito

Malaria is distributed by the bite of a female Anopheles Mosquito, and there are native species in the United States which can transmit disease to humans, including in New Jersey.

Although civil servants are not sure of the origin of the latter case, it is possible that a person with measles linked to travel has arrived in the region and was bitten by a mosquito that may then have bitten someone else. According to health officials, around 100 cases related to travel is reported each year in the state. If this new case is confirmed as local, this would be the first local case documented in New Jersey since 1991.

Managers say that the threat of malaria towards the most public is minimal, but that other recent cases have been acquired locally. In 2023, for example, there were three separate clusters in Florida, Texas and Maryland (at the time, they were the first local American cases documented in two decades). And earlier this month, Washington officials reported their own local malaria case, most likely the first ever found in the state.

As weak as the risk of people’s malaria can be, we must always do our best to prevent mosquito bites. In the United States, there are other diseases that mosquitoes can propagate outside malaria, including Western Nile virus, Easian Equipphalitis (EEE) and even dengue. We can personally reduce the bites using an insectogue and wearing long -sleeved clothes. And people should also do their part to clean the areas around their houses which could transform into a literal reproduction ground for mosquitoes.

“I urge the public to continue taking measures to eliminate stagnant waters around their properties, which will greatly help reduce the risk of mosquito reproduction,” said Shawn Mr. Latourette, environmental protection commissioner of the NJ, in a press release. “While summer ends, passing this simple but necessary step will help guarantee quality of life and protect public health.”