First cases of malaria in the US in 20 years

Malaria was endemic in the US south of the Mason Dixon Line until the middle of the 20th century and it&#x27;s had a huge effect on our history - from playing a part in the decimation of native populations to why slavery only took hold in some places to the difficulties of some Union offensives in the Civil War.<p>Charles Mann wrote a great book, <i>1493</i>, on the Colombian Exchange which I&#x27;d highly recommend. The introduction of malaria to the Americas is one underappreciated aspect of that he introduced me to.

I&#x27;m more surprised that there have been no malaria cases in the US in 20 years. It isn&#x27;t exactly a disease like Ebola or Polio that&#x27;s on the brink of extinction. Hundreds of millions suffer from it worldwide every year.

Could someone with more expertise and background explain in *good faith* how likely this may or may not be related to the company Oxitec releasing 2.4 billion mosquitos in Florida to reduce tropical disease? I realize they only released non-biting Aedes aegypti male mosquitoes, but I&#x27;d like to hear how possible it is the safety concerns by critics were valid and some females survived. Is it impossible this is related? If not, what are the chances that it is related?<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.smithsonianmag.com&#x2F;smart-news&#x2F;why-the-us-plans-to-release-24-billion-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-180979833&#x2F;" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.smithsonianmag.com&#x2F;smart-news&#x2F;why-the-us-plans-t...</a>

Break out the DDT! <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.un.org&#x2F;africarenewal&#x2F;magazine&#x2F;january-2022&#x2F;widespread-use-ddt-malaria-control-worries-environmentalist" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.un.org&#x2F;africarenewal&#x2F;magazine&#x2F;january-2022&#x2F;wides...</a>

Just as a reminder, in 2021 there were close to 250 million estimated malaria cases worldwide, with an estimated ~600.000 deaths according to WHO, so it is very much a concern for the world even though it was eradicated in the USA

Presumably the original infection was brought into the US? I can&#x27;t imagine a disease reservoir in the US when there hasn&#x27;t been a case in 20 years.

Hard to overstate how mosquitoes are the deadliest creature known to man: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cdc.gov&#x2F;globalhealth&#x2F;stories&#x2F;2019&#x2F;world-deadliest-animal.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cdc.gov&#x2F;globalhealth&#x2F;stories&#x2F;2019&#x2F;world-deadlies...</a>

Rising temperatures + uncontrolled swampland. This is as good a call as any that states need to take public health seriously, but I doubt anything will really change.

Well, western world may start treating this mankind&#x27;s scourge with enough priority finally, apparently poor people suffering and dying is not concerning enough. Btw in southern Europe we are starting to face similar issue due to global climate change, aka warming.

Meanwhile, the country of Belize, about 800mi south of LA or TX, has been declared Malaria-Free by the WHO, after a record of zero indigenous cases since 2019 [0],&quot;with rigorous, credible evidence&quot; that the there has been no transmission of malaria within the country for at least three consecutive years.<p>The anti-science and ant-public-health ranting in the US is evidently having an effect.<p>[0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bbc.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;world-latin-america-65974440" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bbc.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;world-latin-america-65974440</a>

The 5-6 posts about this when it was news weren&#x27;t good enough?