U.S. Malaria Count Highest in 40 Years

Recent statistics show that the number of malaria cases in the United States have risen to a higher number than in the past 40 years, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Over 1,925 reported malaria cases were seen in 2011 in the United States-the highest number since 1971 and a 14 percent increase from 2010.

However, researchers note that almost all U.S. residents who got malaria acquired the disease while traveling in another country. This accounts for nearly 70 percent of U.S. malaria cases in 2011 that were acquired in Africa, according to the CDC. With 223 cases, India came in first with the highest number of imported cases, followed shortly after by Nigeria.

"Malaria isn't something many doctors see frequently in the United States thanks to successful malaria elimination efforts in the 1940s," CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a statement. "The increase in malaria cases reminds us that Americans remain vulnerable and must be vigilant against diseases like malaria because our world is so interconnected by travel."

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, malaria is known as a mosquito-borne disease that's caused by a a parasite infection. If left untreated, it can develop into severe health complications that may become fatal. IN fact, the organization notes that in 2010 alone, an estimated 219 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide and 660,000 people died, mostly affecting the African Region at 91 percent.

In order to better protect yourself, travelers in particular can take malaria drugs before and during a trip.