Woman Diagnosed with Malaria in Washington May Be State's First Locally Acquired Case
The woman was diagnosed with malaria, a mosquito-borne illness caused by a parasite, on August 2, according to the officials. State and federal public health agencies are working to confirm the source of the infection, according to a statement published on Wednesday.
Officials believe that the infection may have been transmitted by a mosquito that bit someone else who already had a travel-associated case of malaria. The woman is currently receiving treatment and is being closely monitored. Symptoms of the disease include fever, chills, body aches, fatigue, vomiting, and diarrhea. It can take up to 30 days for an infected person to start showing symptoms.
Cases of malaria in the U.S. are typically linked to travel—mainly to visitors with ties to sub-Saharan African countries—and the disease is not considered endemic to the U.S. In fact, the U.S. effectively eradicated malaria in the 1950s thanks to aggressive control measures, including pesticides and improved drainage. But the Anopheles mosquito which transmits malaria lives all over the country: If they bite someone infected with the disease, the bugs could feasibly transmit the parasite that causes malaria to other people in the area.
Between 20-70 cases of malaria are recorded in Washington each year and there are typically around 2,000 cases annually across the U.S., according to official estimates. While many are linked to travel, there has been a recent uptick in locally-acquired infections.
In 2023, the U.S. experienced its first locally acquired malaria case in 20 years. And between May and October of that year, 10 such cases were reported across Florida, Texas, Maryland, and Arkansas.
Climate change may be driving the incidence of local malaria infections up: The parasite that causes malaria needs warm temperatures to thrive, and research suggests more cases of the disease could arise in previously malaria-free areas as the planet warms.
The U.S. has historically been the top donor nation to global efforts to combat malaria, according to health nonprofit KFF. But those initiatives took a hit when the Trump administration slashed the country's foreign aid programs earlier this year, including most of the work of the President's Malaria Initiative—a USAID program launched in 2005 focused on reducing malaria in countries where the disease is endemic.
As part of the investigation in Washington, officials are working with the U.S. Department of Health to trap and test mosquitoes. Local authorities have stressed that people in the area of the state where the woman was infected remain at very low risk of contracting malaria.
'The risk of getting infected with malaria in Pierce County remains very low,' James Miller, health officer for Tacoma-Pierce County, said in a statement. 'Malaria is a rare disease overall in the United States—and the vast majority of cases in the United States occur following exposures in countries with ongoing transmission.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Digital Trends
5 minutes ago
- Digital Trends
Mobile app is helping with suicide prevention among at-risk people
Over the past decade, research and medical institutions have developed numerous apps that have helped patients living with serious health issues. From something as simple as logging sugar intake and mental health support to assisting with rehabilitation exercises and post-operative pain management, apps have emerged as a convenient solution for delivering medical help in recent years, especially in the pandemic era. The latest success story comes courtesy of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine and the Yale School of Medicine. An app developed by the experts at the institutions, called OTX-2022, helped bring down the recurrence of suicide attempts by a healthy margin among folks who have recently left a medical facility following an attempt at ending their life. Recommended Videos The app provides a dozen educational sessions lasting 10-15 minutes each to at-risk individuals with a mean age of roughly 28 years. After weeks of testing the app among patients who have attempted ending their lives before, the researchers concluded that the 'adjusted rate of follow-up suicide attempts was 58.3% lower in the digital therapeutic group. 'This reduction is a critical achievement for a group that is particularly vulnerable to repeated suicidal behaviors,' the team behind the research said in a press statement. The findings of the remarkable suicide-focused cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) study have been published in the JAMA Network Open journal. Suicide rates in the US have been on the rise for over two decades, and it is among the leading causes of death for individuals as young as 10 years. Notably, over a million people get involved in nonfatal suicidal behavior each year, and nearly half of them end up getting hospitalized. How was the app tested? The overarching benefit of using the app was that it 'led to a sustained reduction in suicidal ideation.' The research tested the mobile app in a randomized clinical trial involving 339 participants in psychiatric hospitals who were admitted with elevated suicide risks in the US between 2022 and 2024. 'Although suicide-specific therapy is highly effective for reducing suicidal thoughts and urges, finding therapists who know how to do this life-saving therapy after leaving the hospital can be challenging. OTX-202 provides a possible solution to that problem,' Craig Bryan, first author of the study and a professor at Ohio State's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, said about the app. According to experts, the period after being discharged from a hospital following a suicide attempt is the most risky, requiring vigilant intervention and care. The OTX-2022 app aims to fill that gap by offering proper guidance and necessary help to at-risk people. After using the app, the participants were examined using the widely used CGI scale for assessing symptoms and improvements. The team discovered that the group of people who used the mobile app were 'significantly more likely to show clinical improvement.' And it seems the app has proved its efficacy in the test phase itself. 'One suicide death occurred during the study in the control condition. There were no suicide deaths in the digital therapeutic group,' says the research paper. Due to the lack of effective interventions and resources for at-risk people in general, experts say the mobile app can prove to be an 'extraordinary' solution.
Fox News
19 minutes ago
- Fox News
Neurologists reveal the top 3 foods to avoid to protect your brain and nervous system
Doctors recommend foods like berries, nuts, fish packed with omega-3 fatty acids and even dark chocolate for neurological health. They also discourage foods high in sugar and saturated fat, which can increase the risk of stroke and dementia. But there are lesser-known foods that can also create a real headache, according to neurologists. "While food-borne illness is often associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, some pathogens and toxins directly affect the nervous system, sometimes with severe or long-term consequences," said Dr. Mary Ann Picone, a neurologist at Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey. Because the illnesses are less common and symptoms can be slow to appear, even doctors can underestimate or miss the neurological component, Picone told Fox News Digital. Experts say international travel and home food preparation can increase your risk of contracting them. Here are three common foods that neurologists caution could put you at risk of toxins and bugs. "If a can is bulging, cracked or severely dented, that's a red flag for botulinum contamination," Dr. Baibing Chen, a Michigan neurologist and epileptologist, said in recent videos posted on TikTok and Instagram, where he is known as Dr. Bing. Botulinum toxin is odorless and tasteless, and heating the contaminated food may not fully neutralize it, Chen warned. "When in doubt, throw it out," he said. The potent neurotoxin can cause botulism, a rare but serious illness that attacks the nerves, leading to muscle paralysis, breathing difficulty, and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Home-canned, low-acid foods including green beans, asparagus, corn, meats, garlic and fermented fish are the most risky, Picone said. To prevent botulism, the CDC recommends refrigerating or freezing leftovers promptly after cooking, throwing away damaged or bulging cans, and following the USDA's guide to home-canning. "I like eating fish, but I try to avoid eating large tropical reef fish like barracuda, grouper and Amberjack because of a neurotoxin called ciguatoxin," Chen said. Ciguatoxin is a neurotoxin produced by certain algae in coral reefs as a defense mechanism. It can travel up the food chain from herbivorous fish to carnivorous fish and eventually humans. The neurological symptoms of ciguatoxin poisoning can include feelings of tingling and numbness, reverse temperature sensations where hot objects feel cold and cold objects feel hot, and vivid nightmares, Chen said. Approximately 50,000 cases of ciguatera poisoning are reported worldwide annually, according to the CDC, but the numbers may be higher because it is often misdiagnosed. The toxin is heat-stable, he added, so cooking the fish won't destroy it. "This doesn't mean you can't eat fish," he said. "Just avoid or limit consumption of large predatory fish, avoid eating certain parts, like the liver or roe, and be aware of endemic areas." Ciguatera is common in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Caribbean Sea, according to the CDC. Chen said he does not eat under-cooked pork, especially from unregulated sources, because of the risk of neurocysticercosis. Neurocysticercosis occurs after a person swallows pork tapeworm eggs, according to the CDC. The larvae migrate to tissues like the brain and form cysts, which are diagnosed when found in the central nervous system. "A little-known fact is that it's actually one of the leading causes of acquired epilepsy worldwide," Chen said of the infection. "And it's not just in developing countries, but can also be seen in developed countries in areas with poor sanitation." There are about 1,000 new hospitalizations for neurocysticercosis in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC, and cases are most frequently reported in New York, California, Texas, Oregon and Illinois. It can be prevented by handwashing, cleaning and peeling fruits and vegetables, and only drinking bottled water or drinks or water boiled for at least one minute in countries where the supply may be unsafe.
CBS News
36 minutes ago
- CBS News
MPCA issues - another - statewide air quality alert
Minnesotans will once again experience hazy conditions and poor air quality this weekend, as wildfires continue to burn across Canada and send smoke south with the change in wind direction. An Air Quality Alert will be in effect from 9 a.m. Sunday until 9 a.m. on Tuesday. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) says air quality index will reach the red level, meaning it is unhealthy for everyone, in all northern and central parts of the state on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, the agency says the rest of the state will be in the orange level, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Residents in affected areas will have air that looks hazy, the sky may appear smoky, and you may smell smoke. In addition, you won't be able to see long distances. Health effects will include irritated eyes, nose and throat, chest tightness, coughing and shortness of breath. These could lead to other conditions such as asthma and heart attacks or strokes, and the worsening of current heart or lung diseases and conditions. Precautions for those in sensitive groups or those with increased exposure include reducing the number of outdoor physical activities, taking more breaks and avoiding intense activities. To help with pollution control, the agency says you should either reduce or eliminate outdoor burning and using residential wood burning devices, not idle vehicles, and take fewer trips.
