A once-vanquished disease spread by mosquitoes may be making inroads into the United States. New Jersey officials are now investigating whether a resident’s malaria infection was locally acquired.

The New Jersey Departments of Health (NJDOH) and Environmental Protection reported on the case Monday. The resident hadn’t recently traveled, suggesting they likely caught it from homegrown mosquitoes. If so, this would be the first locally acquired malaria case seen in the state in over three decades, though not the first such case reported in the country this year.

The blood-loving parasite

Malaria is caused by several species of the single-celled parasite Plasmodium . When an infected mosquito transmits the disease to a person, the parasites will first invade certain tissues (usually t

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