Originally published July 19, 2023 6:00 pm PDT
Florida health officials announced a new locally acquired case of malaria discovered in the southern region of Sarasota County.
QUICK FACTS:
- Health officials in Florida have announced another case of malaria in Sarasota County this month, bringing the total number of those affected in the state to seven.
- The county of Sarasota has reportedly been under a mosquito-borne illness alert for nearly a month.
- Officials in the area have been using resources to apply insecticide to the region where the malaria cases were reported.
- Malaria is a serious disease caused by a parasite transferred to humans through a mosquito bite and typical symptoms include fever, chills, and muscle aches.
DR. RICHARD BARLETT ON MALARIA COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES:
“The most likely source of malaria and other rare diseases appearing in U.S. is infected illegal aliens who were not screened for disease, not climate change,” Barlett said.
BACKGROUND:
- Earlier last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a warning after malaria was found in Florida and Texas in the last two months, the first time the disease has been detected in the United States in twenty years.
- Although CDC stated it is concerned about a “potential rise in imported malaria cases associated with increased international travel” due to the summer, the organization noted that locally acquired malaria is “extremely low.”
- The last malaria outbreak in the U.S. occurred in 2003 after eight individuals were infected with the disease in Palm Beach County, Florida.
- Bill Gates funded a biotechnology firm that genetically engineered mosquitos that were to be released in Florida and Texas.
- “This is a destructive move that is dangerous for public health,” said Dana Perls from Friends of the Earth, an environmental advocacy organization.
- “Once you release these mosquitoes into the environment, you cannot recall them,” Perls said. “This could, in fact, create problems that we don’t have already.”
