A locally acquired malaria case was diagnosed in a Texas resident who spent time working outdoors in Cameron County, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced Friday.

Malaria is a serious and potentially disease transmitted through mosquito bites. Symptoms resemble the flu and include fever, chills, headache, body aches, nausea, and more.

Cameron County Health Administrator Esmeralda Guajardo said the case stemmed from someone visiting Cameron County at the end of May. That person does not live in the Rio Grande Valley, meaning they contracted malaria during their visit.

DSHS is working with local health departments to follow up on the case and determine whether other people may have been exposed, the agency announced in a news release, adding that no other locally acquired malaria cases have been identified in Texas.

Malaria is a serious and potentially disease transmitted through mosquito bites. Symptoms resemble the flu and include fever, chills, headache, body aches, nausea, and more.

“Texas averages more than 120 travel-related malaria cases a year,” DSHS stated. “The last locally acquired Texas case occurred in 1994."

The public is urged to use EPA-approved insect repellents, wear long sleeve shirts and pants while outdoors and to remove standing water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. 

More information can be found on the DSHS website.