Costa Rica Malaria Outbreak Reaches 544 Cases

While malaria vaccines have become more available in Africa during 2023, they are not available in the Region of the Americas, where they are needed to protect children.

As disease-carrying mosquitos expand their range, tourists in vacation hot-spots such as the Republic of Costa Rica's breaches are left unprotected against this disease.

The Central American country of Costa Rica confirmed in December 2023 that there have been 544 malaria cases this year.

In 2022, Costa Rica's Health Ministry reported 406 locally-acquired malaria cases.

Globally, there were an estimated 249 million malaria cases and 426,000 deaths in 2022. 

This year, the U.S. CDC recommends travelers visiting Costa Rica take prescription medicine to prevent malaria, but it can't suggest vaccinations yet.

As of October 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends two malaria vaccines for children: RTS,S/AS01, and R21/Matrix-M™.

The WHO expects these vaccines to have a positive public health impact. 

And on December 21, 2023, WHO announced that it prequalified the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine. Prequalification status enables United Nations agencies to procure the vaccine for eligible countries.

Since most malaria cases in the United States are travel-related, the CDC may not expedite its approval for these new vaccines.

However, during 2023, local malaria cases have been confirmed in Florida, Maryland, and Texas.