There have now been eight total malaria infections found in the U.S. since May, after another case was reported Tuesday by Florida health officials.
The recent cases, all of which have been found in Sarasota County, are the first locally acquired encounters to be reported on U.S. soil in the past 20 years. Up until this point, all cases of the mosquito-borne disease had stemmed from people who had traveled outside the country and then returned to the U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the recent developments qualify as a public health emergency, although they do not expect it to become a nationwide problem.
