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(Image source: WTXF)
BY COLLIN RUANE
Malaria cases have reached a 40-year high in the United States. That's according to
new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC's latest information is from 2011 and shows just a little more 1,900 Americans
contracted the mosquito-borne illness that year. Five people died from the illness. (Via
WPVI)
The CDC reports the number of Americans getting the disease jumped 14 percent from just the
year before. Most of the cases came in January and August, right after the winter and summer
travel seasons. (Via WTXF)
About 70 percent of all the reported malaria cases in 2011 were from people who had traveled
to Africa, where malaria is most common. Most of the other travelers visited India. (Via
WJET)
Of the nearly 2,000 reported cases, only five originated in the U.S. Two babies died from
complications after their mothers traveled overseas, and others involved a lab accident
and a blood transfusion.
Medical News Today notes it's a much larger problem worldwide. There were more than 600,000
malaria deaths worldwide in 2010 and more than 200 million people overall were infected.
LiveScience reports malaria is preventable. Some of the most effective measures are wearing
insect repellent, wearing protective clothing, and, most importantly, taking anti-malaria
drugs before traveling.
So far, it's not clear what caused the uptick in malaria cases. Doctors say it's always
a good idea to consult a health care professional before traveling overseas to places known
for having malaria outbreaks.