SARASOTA, Fla. — A statewide health alert has been issued in Florida after two more cases of malaria were confirmed in Sarasota, Monday.
This comes after another case that was reported in Texas has caused growing concern. These are the first cases of local spread in the United States since 2003 according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.
Local health officials said these latest cases were locally acquired from the anopheles mosquito species that also live here in Florida.
The first case in late May and the second just last week prompted a progressive health alert for both Sarasota and Manatee counties and a call to take precautions. Health officials are also investigating a fifth case as concerns grow among people who live in the county.
"In this neighborhood, we do something where we have these parades with golf carts and so we actually sit outside and we watch the parade of golf carts and we just get torn up," A Sarasota mom, Jayde Morgan, said about the mosquitoes in her neighborhood. "People are going to be eaten alive."
Sarasota Mosquito Control has recently targeted spraying the Desoto Acres area as well as Downtown Sarasota and the University Park area near the Manatee County border.
But neighbors like Morgan who lives in nearby Sarasota Springs fear malaria-carrying mosquitoes are already in their neighborhood.
"What's going through my mind is the amount of standing water in this area is a significant breeding ground for mosquitoes," Morgan said.
Morgan also said she's doing her best to keep mosquitoes at bay and wants neighbors to do the same
"Even calling mosquito control to come spray and when they do it doesn't really do much because I can't control outside water sources," she said.
Morgan was also concerned that there were many inactive pools and stagnant ponds in the area with standing water, perfect locations for mosquitoes to breed.
The last time the United States saw local spread was in 2003 in Palm Beach, Florida. However, Sarasota hasn't seen a local spread since the 1950s when the disease was eradicated in the country, according to a local health expert.
"Usually a human brings it from somewhere else and gives it to a mosquito who in turn bites somebody else and that's how we acquire it," Dr. Manuel Gordillo, an Infectious Disease doctor with Sarasota Memorial Hospital, said. "So it's a mosquito to human-human to mosquito cycle."
While health officials have not confirmed how the sickened individuals in these latest cases got infected, they've urged residents to focus on prevention.
"Mosquitoes can breed in water sources as small as a beer bottle cap, so we want to make sure we don't have tires that are collecting water, flower pots in the backyard with little plates underneath that collect water," Steve Huard, a spokesperson for the Sarasota Department of Health, said on June 21 when the second case was confirmed. "We want to make sure those are dumped so anything with standing water."
Morgan still wants to enjoy the outdoors with her family.
"I'm going to take a look at my backyard and make sure there's nothing there where mosquitoes can breed," she said. "I'm definitely going to maybe call Mosquito Control and see if they can spray because not only do I have children, I have animals that I have to, you know, make sure that they're OK."
All the patients who contracted malaria have since recovered and because these mosquitoes are common around woodlands and wet swampy places, local health officials encourage you to drain items around your property where water can pool.
Also, because this type of mosquito operates at night, wear long sleeves, pants, and mosquito repellent. If you experience any kind of flu-like symptoms, after a mosquito bite, you should seek immediate medical attention.