137 - Malaria in Florida, a regulatory and historical perspective of the 2023 locally acquired outbreak in Sarasota and Manatee counties

Abstract: At the end of May 2023, the Florida Department of Health reported a locally acquired case of Plasmodium vivax in the Sarasota/Manatee County area of Florida. Within a two-month period, it escalated to seven cases and three positive Anopheles crucians, a first for the state in recent years. The most recent activity prior to this outbreak was twenty years ago on the other side of the state. Due to the infrequency of locally acquired malaria outbreaks in Florida, the mosquito control response to the 2023 outbreak required the two counties, as well as participating agencies to rely on available resources and limited knowledge. Despite these challenges, both Sarasota and Manatee counties, with support from Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), mounted a targeted response to decrease the presence of Anopheles species. To overcome the different challenges the counties experienced, FDACS will be working to compile historical information to draft a guideline specific to addressing malaria in Florida. This tool will compile historical data and recent trends in mosquito control.