Malaria

Malaria is a serious, and sometimes fatal, disease caused by a parasite that infects a certain type of mosquito.  The disease is transmitted when an infected mosquito feeds on a human.  People infected with the malaria parasite become ill with high fevers, shaking chills and flu-like illness.  If not properly treated the infection can progress and may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma and death.  Malaria is a curable disease if diagnosed and treated promptly and correctly.

Approximately 1,500 cases of Malaria are diagnosed in the United States each year.  The majority of cases in the United States are in immigrants and travelers returning from countries where malaria is endemic, such as sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia.

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Other Vector-borne Diseases