Florida recently reported1 something it hadn’t seen in 20 years: Locally transmitted malaria2 —cases spread by mosquitoes right here at home.
This isn’t just a Florida story, it’s a national one. Each year, about 2,000 malaria cases are imported 3 into the United States.
To keep our families safe at home, we need to continue U.S. leadership in global health.
Thanks to decades of American leadership in the Global Fund partnership, we’ve seen real, measurable results.
Billions of malaria cases have been averted, millions of malaria-related deaths have been prevented and new tools developed by American companies are now being used around the world.
But progress is fragile. Pulling back now means risking the return of diseases we’ve fought hard to control—both abroad and right here in the U.S.
Global health Starts at Home
A lab technician categorizes and tests mosquitos for malaria infection in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Photo credit: The Global Fund
The fight against mosquitoes is a global one, but it starts in our own backyard. Diseases carried by mosquitoes are opportunistic and the more effectively we fight the disease abroad, the safer we are here at home. That’s why U.S. investments in global health matter.
Through investments in the Global Fund partnership, the U.S. helps build resilient disease detection and response systems worldwide—enabling faster, smarter action against mosquito-borne illnesses, which protects Americans too.
- Global Fund-supported detection systems and laboratories overseas mean earlier warnings for U.S. health agencies.
- Investments in research and innovation accelerate the development of life-saving prevention tools, treatments and diagnostics we use both domestically and abroad.
- Collaboration across countries builds public health defenses that benefit everyone.
What is Malaria?
Malaria is a serious illness known to cause fevers, vomiting and extreme fatigue. While it begins with a simple mosquito bite, it can quickly turn life-threatening, especially for children, pregnant women and people with weaker immune systems.
In 2023 alone, malaria killed nearly 600,000 people around the world, most of whom were children under the age of 5.
Child under a mosquito net.
Photo credit: The Global Fund/Jiro Ose
The Threat is Here
Now, with the return of disease-carrying mosquitoes in places like Florida, Maryland and Virginia, these diseases are no longer a distant threat—they’re at our doorstep.
In recent years:
- Dengue cases in Florida and Maryland have more than doubled.
- Cases of West Nile virus increased, especially during the summer.
- Other mosquito-borne illnesses, like malaria, are showing up earlier and lasting longer into the year.
Disease patterns are shifting and malaria is on the move
Across the country, we’re seeing changes in when and where mosquito-borne diseases appear.
Number of malaria cases by state and territory, grouped in quartiles – United States, 2022
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Outbreak of Locally Acquired Mosquito-Transmitted (Autochthonous) Malaria — Florida and Texas, May–July 2023. ↩︎
- About Malaria ↩︎
- Mitchell CL, Kennar A, Vasquez Y, et al. Notes from the Field: Increases in Imported Malaria Cases — Three Southern U.S. Border Jurisdictions, 2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2024;73:417–419. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7318a2 ↩︎