Bringing Malaria to the United States

QUESTION

I was recently diagnosed with Malaria still waiting to find out what strand, but either got it in Uganda or Rwanda. I have recently came back to the states and have been bit by mosquito. I have already started to take some medication for it, but I am concerned about spreading the virus to others in the states including my family. Is it possible that if I still have the infection to spread it to others or in the states? If so what should I do.

ANSWER

There actually used to be malaria in the United States, particularly in the southern areas, but concerted mosquito control efforts as well as public health initiatives eradicated it in the 1950s. I don’t think you need to worry too much about transmitting malaria—once you are on treatment, the number of parasites in your blood drops dramatically and it becomes more difficult to transmit the parasite to a mosquito. Also, there are lots of types of mosquitoes in the US, and only those of the genus Anopheles can transmit malaria. As such, if you are concerned about spreading malaria, you should take precautions to protect yourself from mosquitoes especially at night and at dusk and dawn, as this is when Anopheles mosquitoes are most active. The type of mosquitoes which bite during the day usually belong to the genus Aedes, and cannot transmit malaria. During these high risk times of day, you should take care to wear long-sleeved clothing, and also wear insect repellent, preferably containing DEET.