It’s not certain, but the most famous (as far as modern times goes) king of Ancient Egypt may have ultimately died from an infection of Malaria, a mosquito-borne illness. I know. That was a LONG time ago and is VERY far away. So who cares? Well, if you have ever had the dreadful disease, you would sympathetically take notice. Click here to read the BBC article.
Though Malaria exists in many parts of the world, we here in the U.S. don’t associate it as a threat. Of the many cases found in the U.S. each year, an overwhelming number were protracted abroad. Did you know that Malaria was epidemic here in the late 1800s and into the first quarter of the 20th century?
According to Directors of Health Promotion and Education:
“The potential also exists for malaria to become re-established in the United States. Currently, about 1,200 malaria cases are reported each year in the United States. Almost all occur in persons who were infected in other parts of the world (imported malaria). Small outbreaks of non-imported malaria, the result of transmission from imported cases, have also been reported. So far, the outbreaks have been quickly and easily contained. A continued increase in drug-resistant malaria throughout the world, however, could increase the number of cases of imported malaria and improve the chances for malaria to re-emerge in the United States.”