Scientists from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research Berghofer have invented a drug that can both prevent and treat COVID-19, including all new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In their internationally peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Nature Communications, Australian medical researchers found that their drug can both prevent persistent inflammation as well as repair damaged…

Health Viewpoints On June 26, the  CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] issued a health advisory when Texas and Florida reported cases of malaria. The five diagnoses—one in Texas and four in Florida—quickly made headlines, with CDC officials reporting that these are the first cases of malaria to originate inside the United States since 2003. The…

Florida was the epicenter of an outbreak of malaria, the first time the tropical disease was contracted in the state in 20 years. Six cases of “locally acquired” malaria were reported in southwest Florida in May and June, according to the Florida Department of Health (FDOH). All six cases were localized in Sarasota County—halfway between…

A domestic resurgence of U.S. malaria cases for the first time in 20 years, with predictions the numbers will rise, has created concern over mosquito-borne diseases and how to prevent them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on June 27 issued a health advisory after five malaria cases were confirmed in Florida and…

Florida health officials reported two more cases of locally acquired malaria, bringing the total number of cases to six in the state. The two new cases were found in Sarasota County during the week of June 25 to July 1, according to the Florida Department of Health’s recent report (pdf). Florida’s Polk, Orange, and Walton…

Editors note: Republished June 2023 because malaria has made a reappearance in the United States. Congratulations go out to Professor Tu Youyou for her 1972 discovery in processing the Chinese herb Artemisia (Qing Hao). Tu is now recognized with a Nobel Prize in Medicine. Her work at the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing, China, has saved…

Mosquitoes have tested positive for malaria after the first local spread of the disease in the United States in 20 years. Three mosquitoes in Florida tested positive for the parasite that causes malaria, Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services told news outlets. The mosquitoes were sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed cases of malaria in Florida and Texas for the first time in 20 years. The agency advised residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites by using repellent, wearing long sleeves, and wearing long pants. On another front, thousands of Americans remain without a sense of taste…

Health officials say that they are discovering mosquitoes with West Nile virus, a potentially fatal illness, across multiple states in recent days. On Thursday, authorities in Des Moines, Iowa, announced that virus-positive mosquitoes were found in surveillance traps and through testing them. The city said that it is now performing city-wide testing. “Treatments will continue…

The Florida Department of Health issued a statewide alert after four people in Sarasota contracted malaria in locally transmitted cases, coming a day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a similar notice for Florida and Texas. “All individuals have been treated and have recovered. Malaria is transmitted through infected mosquitoes,” said Florida’s Department…