For the first time in twenty years, the United States may have suffered from malaria

For the first time in 20 years, people in the United States are suffering from malaria. That to write Researchers from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Monday. In general, Americans only contract malaria when traveling to a (sub)tropical region. It’s not yet clear whether climate change is linked, but scientists have been warning for years that the disease is developing as a result of rising temperatures.

A total of four people in Florida and one in Texas appear to have contracted malaria. Infections between the two states do not appear to be related, but malaria cases in Florida are close to each other. Officials are monitoring the situation and trying to control the local mosquito population American news channel CNN. All four are being treated and their condition is improving. Despite five infections, the likelihood of contracting malaria remains “extremely low,” according to the CDC.

Twenty years ago, people in the United States and Florida were last affected by malaria. 8 people got sick then.

Malaria is caused by parasites that enter the body through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache and muscle aches. The disease occurs in the subtropics and tropics, but climate change may cause the disease to spread to other parts of the world. wrote UN Organization IPCC.

In the Netherlands, malaria only occurs if someone is infected in the (subtropical) tropics. According to the RIVM, around 150 to 300 cases of malaria are reported in the Netherlands each year.