US Health Officials Report 5 Cases of Malaria

Five people have contracted malaria locally in the US for the first time since 2003, with four cases in Sarasota County, Florida, and one in Cameron County, Texas. The last locally acquired Texas cases occurred in 1994 and 2003 in Palm Beach, Florida. Malaria used to be common in the US, but a 1947 campaign by southeastern states to spray insecticides and drain breeding grounds eliminated transmission. Symptoms include fever, nausea, headache and anemia, and can sometimes be fatal if not treated.