Malaria in the USA: How Vulnerable Are We to Future Outbreaks?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Malaria poses a threat to nearly half of the world’s population, and recent literature in the USA is lacking regarding understanding risk for local outbreaks. This article aims to review Anopheles mosquito data, vector-borne disease outbreak preparedness, and human travel data from large international gateway cities in an effort to examine risk for localized outbreaks. RECENT FINDINGS: The majority of vector control organizations are widely unprepared for a vector-borne disease outbreak, and multiple mosquito species capable of transmitting malaria continue to persist throughout the USA. SUMMARY: Despite the lack of recent autochthonous cases in the USA, multiple risk factors suggest that local malaria outbreaks in the USA will continue to pose a public health threat due to large numbers of international travelers from endemic areas, multiple Anopheles spp. capable of transmitting the parasite, and unsatisfactory vector-borne disease outbreak preparedness. Climate conditions and recent changes in travel patterns will influence malaria across the globe.