Fifth Case Of Malaria Confirmed In Fla.
POSTED: 9:52 a.m. EDT August 26, 2003
Health officials have confirmed a fifth case of locally contracted malaria in Palm Beach County.
The confirmation has prompted the health director to order all county hospitals to test for the mosquito-borne disease when patients show its symptoms. Dr. Jean Malecki says there are "serious concerns about the persons in the county becoming sources for malaria transmission."
The patient is a 23-year-old man who lives in the same suburban Lake Worth area as the four previously infected victims. The man has been infected with a milder form of the disease and is expected to recover.
Malecki says the man first sought medical help on August 5th, but was not tested for malaria. None of the five victims have been out of the country, and that troubles health officials.
Most of the 1,200 cases of malaria diagnosed in the United States each year involve people who have traveled to infected areas elsewhere in the world.
Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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