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(MSN) – Multiple mosquitoes gathered by authorities in Florida's Sarasota County have tested positive for malaria at a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab, as the response has ramped up to stamp out further spread of the illness. Four locally-acquired cases of malaria were recently reported in Florida, along with one in Texas — the first known instances of the mosquito-borne illness being transmitted within the U.S. since 2003.
Three mosquitoes carrying the parasite that causes malaria were collected from the same woodlot, Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services told CBS News in a statement. They were among more than a hundred samples that have been shipped to the CDC for testing.
Local authorities have targeted their eradication efforts in that area to wipe out Anopheles mosquitoes, the insect that spreads malaria, through spraying efforts from trucks, aircraft and on foot.
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