No. of Malaria Cases in the U.S. hits 40-year high

Last week, the CDC released a statement announcing that the number of malaria cases in the U.S. reached a 40-year high in 2011. Nearly 2,000 people were diagnosed with malaria – a 14 percent increase since 2010.

Most cases were among U.S. residents or citizens and 69 percent of the cases were due to recent travel from Africa where malaria is common. This highlights how important it is to prevent malaria in Sub-Saharan African countries, a deadly disease that claims the life of a child every 60 seconds. We’re all connected and malaria is a global problem.

Here is an excerpt from Maggie Fox’ NBC News Article on the issue.

“Nearly 2,000 people were diagnosed with malaria in the U.S. in 2011, a 40-year high for the infection, health officials reported Thursday.

Most were among U.S. residents or citizens and virtually all cases were brought back from other countries, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. People need to watch out for the mosquito-borne infection, the CDC cautioned.

“In 2011, 1,925 malaria cases were reported in the United States,” CDC said in a statement.

“This number is the highest since 1971, more than 40 years ago, and represents a 14 percent increase since 2010. Five people in the U.S. died from malaria or associated complications.”“

You can learn more by reading the entire article here or check out CDC Director Tom Frieden’s Huffington Post piece here.