In late May, Sarasota County, Florida, health officials confirmed they had identified a case of locally transmitted malaria. In mid-June, they confirmed the second. On June 26, after an additional two cases were confirmed, Florida health officials issued a statewide mosquito-borne illness advisory.
Meanwhile, Texas joined in: On June 23, its state health department announced it had confirmed a case of local malaria transmission in Cameron County.
That’s a total of five cases in the past month. This is all highly unusual: Until now, the US hadn’t documented a locally acquired malaria case in 20 years.