A History of Malaria in the United States

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), malaria or a disease resembling malaria, is believed to have been in existence for more than 4,000 years. The symptoms of malaria were described in ancient Chinese medical writings in 2700 BC. Curiously enough, in 340 CE, Ge Hong of the East Yin Dynasty described the anti-fever properties of the Qinghao plant which thousands of years later became an important tool in the fight against malaria. In 1971, the active ingredient of Qinghao was isolated by Chinese scientists. This ingredient, known as artemisinin, is now known as a very effective antimalarial medicine, particularly in combination with other medicines.

Efforts to control malaria in the United States were heightened at the turn of the 20th century during the U.S. military occupation of Cuba and the construction of the Panama Canal. At the time, malaria and yellow fever were a major cause of death and disease among the workers constructing the canal. Of the more than 26,000 people working on the Canal in 1906, more than 21,000 were hospitalized for malaria. Recognizing the devastating toll that these diseases were having, an aggressive integrated program of insect and malaria control was put into effect. The program had dramatic results – by 1912, of the more than 50,000 workers, only 5,600 were hospitalized.

In 1914, the US Public Health Service (USPHS) went to Congress to secure funds to control malaria in the United States. These efforts were heightened in 1933 with the creation of the U.S. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) where an organized malaria control program was established. At the time, malaria affected 30 percent of the population in the region where the TVA was incorporated. After implementing aggressive research and control operations, the disease was essentially eliminated in the TVA region by 1947. A key part of this effort centered on attacking mosquito breeding sites. These sites were reduced by controlling water levels and insecticide applications.

In 1942, Malaria Control in War Areas (MCWA) was established to control malaria around military training bases in the southern United States and its territories, where malaria was still problematic. MCWA worked to prevent reintroduction of malaria into the civilian population by mosquitoes that would have fed on malaria-infected soldiers, in training or returning from endemic areas. MCWA also trained state and local health department officials in malaria control techniques and strategies.

When the CDC was formed in 1946, its mission was to fight malaria. Known then as the Communicable Disease Center, its work centered on the control and eradication of malaria in the U.S. It helped launch the National Malaria Eradication Program, a cooperative undertaking by state and local health agencies of 13 Southeastern states and the CDC. According to the CDC, the program primarily featured applying DDT to the interior surfaces of rural homes or entire premises in counties where malaria was reported to have been prevalent in recent years. By the end of 1949, over 4,650,000 house spray applications had been made. In 1947, 15,000 malaria cases were reported. By 1950, only 2,000 cases were reported. By 1951, malaria was considered eradicated from the United States.