Malaria Outbreaks

Malaria Outbreaks 2024

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), eleven countries have the highest rates of new malaria infections and deaths in 2023: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. These countries saw an estimated 249 million malaria cases and 426,000 deaths in 2022, a 2% increase from 2021. As of January 2024, the WHO states that 43 countries and one territory are malaria-free.

In 2024, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) estimated that approximately 41 million people are living in areas where the risk of infection by mosquito-carrying Malaria is considered moderate to high in twenty-one Latin American countries. The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation publishes estimates of malaria outbreak deaths.

Malaria Outbreaks United States

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says millions of residents travel to countries where Malaria is present. About 2,000 malaria cases are diagnosed in the United States annually, mostly in returned travelers to cities such as Miami, Florida. Of imported malaria cases in the U.S., 59% were among persons who had traveled from Africa.

In 2023, about ten locally acquired malaria cases were reported. The CDC published a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on September 8, 2023, confirming eight cases of autochthonous Malaria were reported by state health departments in Florida (seven) and Texas (one) from May 18–July 17, 2023. On October 4, 2023, the Arkansas Department of Health announced it identified one case of locally acquired Malaria in a Saline County resident who had not traveled out of the country. On June 23, 2023, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported one malaria case in Cameron County. On August 6, 2023, Maryland reported one local malaria case. On June 26, 2023, the CDC issued Health Advisory CDCHAN-00494 regarding malaria cases, As of December 2023, Florida Health reported over 71 malaria cases related to international travel. On June 26, 2023, the Florida Department of Health issued a statewide mosquito-borne illness advisory following the detection of locally infected malaria patients in Sarasota. In 2003, 8 cases of locally acquired P. vivax malaria were identified in Palm Beach County, FL.

Malaria Outbreaks Africa

The WHO says four African countries account for over 50% of all malaria deaths worldwide: Nigeria (31.3%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.6%), the United Republic of Tanzania (4.1%), and Niger (3.9%). A study published by PLOS ONE on May 31, 2023, found 13 Sub-Saharan African countries' Malaria Indicator Surveys, the pooled prevalence of Malaria among children aged 6–59 months was found to be 27.41% (95% CI: 17.94%-36.88%) ranging from 5.04% in Senegal to 62.57% in Sierra Leone. On May 10, 2023, South Africa reported a significant increase in malaria cases in the endemic provinces and Gauteng. According to the 2022 World Malaria Report, Nigeria had the highest number of global malaria cases (27%) and the highest number of deaths (32%) in 2020. Malaria in South Africa is seasonal and primarily occurs in the Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces. Previously, data from the 2018 Federal Republic of Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey show that malaria parasitemia in children was 23%.

Malaria Outbreaks The Americas

Eighteen countries, including one territory in the Region of the Americas, are currently at risk of Malaria. In the Region of the Americas, between 2022 and 2023, Argentina, Bahamas, Jamaica, and the U.S. reported imported Malaria cases and local transmission. Brazil and Venezuela reported the most malaria cases in 2022. In the Americas, 520,000 cases of Malaria and around 120 deaths were reported in 2021. Paraguay, Argentina, and El Salvador were certified malaria-free by WHO in 2018, 2019, and 2021, respectively. Additionally, Belize was certified malaria-free by WHO on June 21, 2023.

In December 2023, the Costa Rica Health Surveillance Directorate of the Ministry of Health announced an increased risk of Malaria in Costa Rica, especially in coastal zones. Over 544 malaria cases were confirmed in 2; in 2022, Costa Rica reported 406 locally acquired malaria cases. The CDC issued various outbreak alerts for malaria-endemic countries, including Costa Rica, in 2023.

A study published by the Royal Society on February 15, 2023, indicates malaria-carrying mosquitoes are gaining an average of 6.5 meters (21 feet) of elevation per year, and the southern limits of their ranges are moving by 4.7 kilometers (nearly 3 miles) from the equator per year.

Malaria Outbreks India

In 2022, 50 people died of Malaria across India. However, this was a drastic decrease from 2014, when 562 deaths were attributed to Malaria. The National Framework for Malaria Elimination in India 2016-2030 was launched in 2016, followed by the National Strategic Plan 2017-2022. According to the WMR 2019, India represents 3% of the global malaria burden. 

Malaria Mexico

On November 7, 2023, The Lancet published an article: The U.S.–Mexico border and falciparum malaria. The significant increase of Malaria in a non-endemic region forces the medical community and health authorities of our country, as well as the increasing number of countries with high migratory flow, to provide technical assistance in local diagnostic laboratories to establish strategies for the detection of active malaria infections and expedite treatment by eliminating administrative barriers to comply with the guidelines set by WHO. In Mexico City, access to antimalarials is through the health jurisdiction, and diagnostic certainty is required to be provided. Diagnostic tests based on nucleic acids to detect Plasmodium antigens are unavailable, and the number of expert microscopists is found only in reference laboratories. The U.S. CDC recommends that travelers to certain areas of Mexico take prescription medicine to prevent Malaria. Depending on your medication, you must start taking this medicine multiple days before, during, and after your trip.

Malaria South Korea

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, over 719 malaria cases were confirmed from January to mid-October 2023. This is the first time the number of annual malaria cases has topped 700 since 2011.

Malaria United Kingdom

This resurgence of malaria outbreaks has significant implications for travelers, given that for Malaria imported into the U.K. in 2021, for which there was a recorded travel history, 94% of patients acquired their Malaria in Africa. the U.K. Health Security Agency posted on April 24, 2024, shows that Malaria diagnosed in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland reached 2,004 reported cases in 2023, a 32% increase from 1,369 in 2022.

Malaria Vaccines 2024

Malaria vaccine information is posted at Precision Vaccinations.

Malaria 

Malaria is a curable disease caused by four species of protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, and P. ovale and is transmitted to people by Anopheles mosquitoes.

Malaria Treatment

The CDC conducted a COCA Call on July 20, 2023 - Malaria Diagnosis and Treatment in the U.S. Though rare, Malaria can also be transmitted congenitally. Antimalarial therapies are approved in 2024.

Zoonotic Avian Malaria Outbreaks

Zoonotic forms of Malaria have been documented as causes of human infections and some deaths, especially P. knowlesi, a parasite of Old World (Eastern Hemisphere) monkeys in Southeast Asia. Avian Malaria is a disease caused by a species of protozoan parasites (Plasmodium) that infect birds. It has caused mortalities in captive penguins worldwide. A study published in 2021 concluded penguins' susceptibility, translocation across institutions, and the wide distribution of avian Malaria make this disease a constant threat.

Malaria Outbreak News

January 4, 2024 - Study: Assessing the daily natural history of asymptomatic Plasmodium infections in adults and older children in Katakwi, Uganda. Even using highly sensitive diagnostics, single timepoint testing might misclassify the actual infection status of an individual.

November 30, 2023 - The WHO announced its annual malaria report, spotlighting the growing threat of climate change.

October 13, 2023 - The U.S. CDC published Notes from the Field: Locally Acquired Mosquito-Transmitted (Autochthonous) Plasmodium falciparum Malaria — National Capital Region, Maryland, August 2023.

July 3, 2023 - "The (Gates) Foundation does not fund any work involving mosquito release in the United States," a spokesperson told AFP in an email. "Malaria eradication has been a top priority of our foundation for more than two decades, and we remain committed to devoting resources and expertise toward ending the disease for good."

June 26, 2023: The Florida Department of Health issued a statewide mosquito-borne illness advisory following four confirmed and recovered cases of locally acquired Malaria in Sarasota County.

April 13, 2023: The U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica announced an increase in malaria cases, primarily in the Caribbean province of Limon.

March 29, 2023 - The WHO announced that Azerbaijan and Tajikistan had been malaria-free.

February 20, 2023 - "South West Ethiopia is a newly constituted region characterized by weak physical infrastructure, recurrent and heavy floods, a fragile security situation, and poor public health awareness," explained Megi Wechuro, who heads South West Ethiopia's Public Health Institute.

January 24, 2023 - The Lancet reported results from a study in Benin, which confirms that adding the pyrrole insecticide chlorfenapyr to long-lasting insecticidal nets as a second active ingredient to back up the pyrethroids can have invaluable effects on malaria transmission and disease burden.