Malaria

Malaria is caused by protozoan parasites (mainly Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae) transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. At present, at least 300,000,000 people are affected by malaria globally, and there are between 1,000,000 and 1,500,000 malaria deaths per year.

Malaria is generally endemic in the tropics, with extensions into the subtropics. Malaria in travelers arriving by air is now an important cause of death in non-malaria areas.

In the United States malaria affected colonization along the eastern shore and was not effectively controlled until the 1940's when the vector mosquitoes Anopheles quadrimaculatus were controlled.

A resurgence occurred during the 1960's and early 1970s due to returning military personnel from Vietnam.

Several hundred imported cases are reported in the USA every year.

 

The malaria mosquito An. gambiae luckily IS NOT found in St. Johns County

In Palm Beach County, Florida 8 malaria cases have been reported in 2003. There have not been any malaria cases reported from St. Johns County, but the vector mosquito for malaria is distributed countywide. St. Augustine is a favorite tourist destination making it necessary to be constantly on the look out for imported cases of malaria.

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