Malaria

Ground-based spraying nearly doubled in the county's targeted approach; though a dry summer helped mitigate costs, an official says.

After malaria cases this summer in Sarasota County, the need to combat mosquito-borne illnesses remains as rain from Hurricane Idalia has increased breeding grounds for the insects, according to mosquito experts.

Extreme heat or flooding may not be to blame for Sarasota's malaria outbreak, but scientists say changing weather patterns could still increase risk for mosquito-borne diseases.

For the first time in two decades, the U.S. has evidence of local transmission of malaria. Most of the cases occurred in Florida's Sarasota County, which has stepped up mosquito suppression efforts.

After a rough five days in the hospital, Hannah Heath says she's working to protect her family from mosquito-borne diseases. She encourages others to follow guidance from health officials.

Scientists have used a gene-editing technique to make mosquitos allies in the fight against malaria. Environmentalists are troubled by the idea of genetically modifying wild animals.

Sarasota and Manatee counties remain under mosquito-borne illness alert. Polk and Orange counties are under advisories. Meantime, a third case of dengue was confirmed in Miami-Dade.

No new cases of malaria were reported in the health department's latest update. But mosquito control officials in the region say residents shouldn't let their guards down as the rainy season continues.

Polk County is working to make sure the odds of malaria spreading northward are as low as possible.

Six people in the county have contracted the disease in recent weeks from mosquitoes in the area, officials say. The state remains under a mosquito-borne illness alert.

Five local cases of malaria in the U.S. have been reported --mosquitoes carrying the malaria parasite bit and infected the individuals. How worried should we be? Is climate change a factor?

The last time mosquito-borne malaria occurred in the U.S. was in 2003, when eight cases were identified in Palm Beach County.