{"id":71375,"date":"2023-08-17T10:01:31","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T16:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=71375"},"modified":"2024-07-18T14:31:45","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T20:31:45","slug":"malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"Malaria is back in the United States. Here\u2019s what you need to know."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Malaria
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that’s transmitted by mosquitoes. The United States has about 2,000 malaria cases a year, nearly all from travelers coming home. But 2023 saw the first locally transmitted cases in a generation. Photo: Getty images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On June 26, 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory with news that the first locally acquired malaria cases in a generation had been reported in Texas and Florida. Malaria, a disease endemic to the United States from before the country\u2019s founding until the early 1950s, had returned.<\/p>\n

Would it establish a foothold again? Dr. Daniel Pastula<\/a>, a tropical-disease expert and chief of neuro-infectious disease<\/a> and global neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Colorado School Public Health, helps answer a few questions about malaria.<\/p>\n

What is malaria? Is it viral? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that\u2019s transmitted by mosquitoes \u2013 in particular, the Anopheles<\/em> mosquito. Symptoms of malaria include high fevers, chills and flu-like symptoms.<\/p>\n

Are there different types of malaria?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Five malaria parasites infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale<\/em>, P. knowlesi<\/em>, and\u00a0P. malariae. The most dangerous is typically P. falciparum if not promptly treated.<\/em><\/p>\n

Is malaria contagious? How is it transmitted?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Malaria doesn\u2019t spread directly from person to person, like a cold or the flu. It\u2019s a vector-borne disease, transmitted<\/a> most often when a mosquito bites someone with malaria and then bites someone without malaria. Because the parasite resides in red blood cells, it can also be transmitted through blood transfusion, organ transplant, shared syringes, or from a mother to an unborn infant.<\/p>\n

Are there Anopheles<\/em> mosquitoes in the United States?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yes. But the presence of the mosquito is only part of the story, Pastula says.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to have enough Anopheles<\/em> mosquitoes in the same area where humans are infected with malaria,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that’s what we saw in Texas and Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where is malaria prevalent?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Malaria is transmitted locally in 87 countries where nearly half<\/a> the world\u2019s population lives.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Dr. Dan Pastula<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How many people die from malaria each year?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The World Health Organization estimates<\/a> that there were about 247 million cases in 2021, and about 619,000 people died \u2013 many of them young children. Most cases and deaths happen in Africa.<\/p>\n

Is there are cure for malaria?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are several treatments<\/a> for malaria. Treatment depends on the patient and the type of malaria suspected, as drug resistance varies. The earlier the treatment, the better.<\/p>\n

Is malaria endemic in the United States?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Not at the moment, though 2023 did see local U.S. malaria transmission<\/a> \u2013 a handful of cases in Florida and one in Texas \u2013 for the first time since 2003. The CDC estimates that there are about 2,000 U.S. malaria cases a year, on average. Most happen when the disease comes home with travelers.<\/p>\n

Has malaria been a problem in the United States in the past?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yes. It was among the leading causes of death in the southeastern United States in the 1800s and affected<\/a> the country\u2019s most populated regions. The CDC is a successor to<\/a> the U.S. Office of Malaria Control in War Areas, which was established in 1942 to limit malaria and other diseases spread by mosquitoes in the southeastern United States during World War II. The CDC led an aggressive, 13-state mosquito-eradication program starting in 1947. Now-banned DDT was a primary tool in that effort. By the early 1950s, the local spread of malaria had ceased.<\/p>\n

Could malaria again become a problem in the United States in the future?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yes, though probably not like it was in the distant past. Climate change is expanding<\/a> the range of mosquitoes that transmit malaria through both warming temperatures and increasing rainfall that fills more mosquito breeding sites.<\/p>\n

\u201cTypically, the risk of seeing malaria spread locally increases when Anopheles<\/em> mosquitoes survive during most of or the entire year,\u201d Pastula said.<\/p>\n

The continued rise of global travel in an interconnected world adds to the risk, he says, as diseases can spread more easily beyond their historic ranges.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we don\u2019t have robust public health and vector control systems, vector-borne diseases may become endemic in areas where they classically weren\u2019t,\u201d Pastula said. \u201cWe should be prepared for emerging and re-emerging infections by supporting strong public health surveillance systems, strong vector-control systems, and approaching these diseases with a One Health<\/a> model.\u201d<\/p>\n

Can you develop immunity to malaria?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Not permanent immunity. People can contract malaria many times, partly because there are multiple parasites with complex life cycles<\/a>. Some people may develop partial immunity with repeated exposures, but this only may help prevent severe disease in some people and not infection, Pastula says.<\/p>\n

Is there a malaria vaccine?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Not in the United States. But in other parts of the world, GSK\u2019s RTS,S\/AS01, or Mosquirix, was approved by the World Health Organization in 2021 and has been administered to about 1.5 million children, though it\u2019s only<\/a> about 30% effective in preventing severe disease. BioNTech and the University of Oxford have each also developed experimental vaccines that are in clinical trials.<\/p>\n

If I\u2019m traveling to a country where malaria is locally transmitted, are there drugs to help prevent it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are several drugs<\/a> for malaria prophylaxis that your health care provider may recommend. Which one you might take will differ depending on where you\u2019re traveling and what other medications you might be taking. None are 100% effective, so protecting yourself from mosquito bites is still important.<\/p>\n

Are there other mosquito-borne diseases we should keep an eye out for?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dengue<\/a>, Zika, and chikungunya are examples of diseases endemic to the tropics that have seen occasional outbreaks in the southern continental United States. West Nile virus<\/a> has been endemic to most of North America since the early 2000s, and we are seeing many cases this season in Colorado.<\/p>\n

Can\u2019t we just eradicate Anopheles mosquitoes that spread malaria?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Mosquitoes have been around a lot longer than human beings have, Pastula says. They will likely keep adapting to our efforts to take them out.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to learn to live with mosquitoes \u2013 but take them and their bites seriously,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

How does one \u201clive with\u201d mosquitoes?\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Avoid their bites<\/a> and make life difficult for them. That means using insect repellents and wearing long sleeves and long pants, particularly towards dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active. Keep mosquitoes out of your home and, in particular, away from the bedroom, where they can bite at night. If you\u2019re a homeowner, look for standing water and drain it, because it doesn\u2019t take much to provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you prevent mosquito bites, you prevent the diseases mosquitoes spread,\u201d Pastula said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On June 26, 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory with news that the first locally acquired malaria cases in a generation had been reported in Texas and Florida. Malaria, a disease endemic to the United States from before the country\u2019s founding until the early 1950s, had returned. Would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":71380,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[392,162,586],"class_list":["post-71375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-infection-prevention","tag-infectious-diseases","tag-laboratory"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMalaria is back. Is it contagious? Get the facts. - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tropical and neuro-infectious disease expert on malaria's U.S. return. Is malaria contagious? Is there a vaccine? And how to stay safe.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Malaria is back in the United States. Here\u2019s what you need to know.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tropical and neuro-infectious disease expert on malaria's U.S. return. Is malaria contagious? Is there a vaccine? And how to stay safe.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-08-17T16:01:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-18T20:31:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/08\/17101633\/malariaeee.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911\"},\"headline\":\"Malaria is back in the United States. Here\u2019s what you need to know.\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-17T16:01:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-18T20:31:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1144,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/17101633\\\/malariaeee.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Infection prevention\",\"Infectious diseases\",\"Laboratory\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Healthy living\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\\\/\",\"name\":\"Malaria is back. Is it contagious? Get the facts. - UCHealth Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/17101633\\\/malariaeee.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-17T16:01:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-18T20:31:45+00:00\",\"description\":\"Tropical and neuro-infectious disease expert on malaria's U.S. return. Is malaria contagious? Is there a vaccine? And how to stay safe.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/17101633\\\/malariaeee.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/17101633\\\/malariaeee.webp\",\"width\":800,\"height\":536,\"caption\":\"Malaria is not contagious but it is spread by an infected mosquito biting an uninfected person.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Malaria is back in the United States. Here\u2019s what you need to know.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"name\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"description\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UCHealth\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"UCHealth\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/uchealth\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/uchealth\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/school\\\/14839\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911\",\"name\":\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\"},\"description\":\"Todd Neff has written hundreds of stories for University of Colorado Hospital and UCHealth. He covered science and the environment for the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado, and has taught narrative nonfiction at the University of Colorado, where he was a Ted Scripps Fellowship recipient in Environmental Journalism. He is author of \u201cA Beard Cut Short,\u201d a biography of a remarkable professor; \u201cThe Laser That\u2019s Changing the World,\u201d a history of lidar; and \u201cFrom Jars to the Stars,\u201d a history of Ball Aerospace.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/author\\\/tneff\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Malaria is back. Is it contagious? Get the facts. - UCHealth Today","description":"Tropical and neuro-infectious disease expert on malaria's U.S. return. Is malaria contagious? Is there a vaccine? And how to stay safe.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Malaria is back in the United States. Here\u2019s what you need to know.","og_description":"Tropical and neuro-infectious disease expert on malaria's U.S. return. Is malaria contagious? Is there a vaccine? And how to stay safe.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/","og_site_name":"UCHealth Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","article_published_time":"2023-08-17T16:01:31+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-07-18T20:31:45+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/08\/17101633\/malariaeee.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@uchealth","twitter_site":"@uchealth","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/"},"author":{"name":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911"},"headline":"Malaria is back in the United States. Here\u2019s what you need to know.","datePublished":"2023-08-17T16:01:31+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-18T20:31:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/"},"wordCount":1144,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/08\/17101633\/malariaeee.webp","keywords":["Infection prevention","Infectious diseases","Laboratory"],"articleSection":["Healthy living"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/","name":"Malaria is back. Is it contagious? Get the facts. - UCHealth Today","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/08\/17101633\/malariaeee.webp","datePublished":"2023-08-17T16:01:31+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-18T20:31:45+00:00","description":"Tropical and neuro-infectious disease expert on malaria's U.S. return. Is malaria contagious? Is there a vaccine? And how to stay safe.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/08\/17101633\/malariaeee.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/08\/17101633\/malariaeee.webp","width":800,"height":536,"caption":"Malaria is not contagious but it is spread by an infected mosquito biting an uninfected person."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/malaria-is-back-in-us-is-it-contagious-get-the-facts\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Malaria is back in the United States. Here\u2019s what you need to know."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","name":"UCHealth Today","description":"UCHealth Today","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization","name":"UCHealth","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"UCHealth"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/x.com\/uchealth","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uchealth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/14839\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911","name":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth"},"description":"Todd Neff has written hundreds of stories for University of Colorado Hospital and UCHealth. He covered science and the environment for the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado, and has taught narrative nonfiction at the University of Colorado, where he was a Ted Scripps Fellowship recipient in Environmental Journalism. He is author of \u201cA Beard Cut Short,\u201d a biography of a remarkable professor; \u201cThe Laser That\u2019s Changing the World,\u201d a history of lidar; and \u201cFrom Jars to the Stars,\u201d a history of Ball Aerospace.","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/tneff\/"}]}},"coauthors":[{"id":23,"name":"Todd Neff","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/tneff\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71375"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77083,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71375\/revisions\/77083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}