Review of Malaria Diagnosis and Treatment in the United States

Overview

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory on June 26, 2023, to share information on the recent identification of locally acquired, mosquito-transmitted malaria cases (P. vivax) in Florida and Texas. Although these are the first documented instances of locally transmitted malaria in the United States since 2003, approximately 2,000 malaria cases are diagnosed and treated in the United States each year, primarily in individuals returning from travel to malaria-endemic countries. These malaria infections present a potential risk of subsequent transmission domestically since Anopheles mosquitoes capable of transmitting malaria are broadly distributed across the United States. During this COCA Call, participants will learn how to prevent, diagnose, and treat malaria, how the biology of the pathogen contributes to clinical management of the disease, and how CDC and state and local health departments are responding to the locally acquired mosquito-borne malaria cases in the United States.

Presenters

Alison Ridpath, MD, MPH
CAPT, U.S. Public Health Service
Medical Countermeasures Team Lead
2023 Malaria Response
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Erika Wallender, MD, MPH
LCDR, U.S. Public Health Service
Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer
Medical Countermeasures Team
2023 Malaria Response
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Adam Rowh, MD
LCDR, U.S. Public Health Service
Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer
Medical Countermeasures Team
2023 Malaria Response
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention