SARASOTA, Fla. — Health officials in Sarasota County are reminding residents to continue mosquito bite prevention efforts as another case of malaria was confirmed on Tuesday.
As of July 18, there have been seven cases of locally-transmitted malaria throughout the county, which remains under a mosquito-borne illness alert. All seven people have been treated and are recovering.
"Our overall message for the community continues to be prevention by avoiding mosquito bites through the use of repellents, clothing that covers and reduction of outside exposure from dusk to dawn," the health department wrote.
All of the cases have occurred in North Sarasota, leading health officials to focus their efforts in the DeSoto Acres and Kensington Park neighborhoods.
According to health officials, these efforts include:
- Giving out more than 1,000 cans of bug spray and 45 mosquito bed nets to local homeless service organizations
- Sending targeted mosquito alert messages to 21,000 residents who live within about a mile of each new suspected case
- Providing English and Spanish education materials to community partners
Sarasota County Mosquito Control has also continued trapping and testing anopheles mosquitos, the only ones that transmit malaria to humans.
These cases mark the first time in 20 years there's been a local spread of malaria in the U.S. There are about 2,000 U.S. cases of malaria diagnosed each year, but the vast majority are in travelers coming from countries where the disease commonly spreads.
Officials said the lifecycle of malaria-carrying mosquitoes takes around four weeks. The mosquito-borne illness alert will stay in effect until Sarasota County has gone six weeks without new cases.
If you begin to feel symptoms of malaria, like fever, chills, headaches or other flu-like symptoms, you should contact your doctor as soon as possible.