| 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.
|