06/27/2023: Lab Advisory: CDC Issues Health Alert for Locally Acquired Malaria Cases in the United States

Audience: Clinical Laboratories

Level: Laboratory Advisory

On June 26, 2023, CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) message about the identification of locally acquired malaria cases (P. vivax) in Florida and Texas within the last 2 months, and the concern for a potential rise in imported malaria cases associated with increased international travel in summer 2023.

CDC recommends that clinical laboratories

• Have malaria diagnostic tests available (blood smear or BinaxNow™ rapid diagnostic test followed by blood smear)
• Ensure that qualified personnel who can perform and interpret these tests are always available
• Review the bench aids for blood smear preparation, staining, diagnosis, and calculating the percent parasitemia

For more information, please review the HAN in detail.

We encourage you to share this message widely with your network(s).

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Resources

• CDC – Malaria
• CDC – DPDx – Diagnostic Procedures

Questions?

• If you are a clinical or public health laboratory professional, contact LOCS.
• For media inquiries, contact the CDC Newsroom.
• For all other questions, contact CDC-INFO.

Thank you,

The Laboratory Outreach Communication System

Laboratory Outreach Communication System (LOCS) | Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS)

Office of Laboratory Science and Safety (OLSS)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

LOCS@cdc.gov

www.cdc.gov/locs