40 Malaria
40.1 Epidemiologic Review
40.1.1 Disease Information
Overview: Malaria is a parasitic disease spread by infected Anopheles mosquitos. Malaria does not regularly occur or spread in the United States. All cases in Salt Lake County contracted malaria while traveling to another country where malaria is originated and returned to Utah.
Symptoms: Symptoms may include fever, chills, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, or flu-like symptoms. Severe symptoms include seizures, kidney failure, encephalopathy, anemia, and death.
Transmission: Transmission occurs when an individual is bitten by an infected mosquito.
Treatment: Recommended treatment is with oral antiparasitic medication. In severe cases IV antimalarial medication may be administered. Type of treatment and length of treatment depends on type of malaria, where the person was infected (geographic location), age, pregnancy status, and how severe a patient is. Chemoprophylaxis is recommended for anyone traveling to an endemic malaria area. Prophylaxis involves oral medication taken before, during, and after travel to a malaria-endemic area.
Prevention Prevention methods include taking medicine to prevent malaria infection (chemoprophylaxis) before, during, and after traveling, avoiding area with high mosquito areas, and using mosquito repellent approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Additional prevention includes wearing loose long-sleeved shirts, pants, and socks and keeping mosquitoes out of houses by ensuring screens on windows and doors do not have holes and are not left open.
40.1.4 Monthly and Historical Comparisons
Data for Utah and the CDC were retrieved from the CDC’s Notifiable Infectious Disease Data Tables.