Malaria got me down last week. I’m finished the quinine, the medicine to get rid of this punk disease. And also, my cognitive ability is coming back to me in the same way a bulldog comes to his master. So, I began thinking about malaria and Florida, specifically, when did Florida eradicate the malaria parasite?

• “The largest outbreak in recent Florida history occurred in Palm Beach County in 2003 where there were eight cases.”
• “In 2008, 65 cases of imported malaria were reported in Florida. Sixty-nine percent of cases were non-white, 28% were white, and the remaining were of unknown race. The average age of reported cases in Florida is 39.4 years. Thirty-eight percent of cases had recent travel history to Haiti, 26% travled to Nigera, 23% traveled to another African country, 9% traveled to Central or South America, and the remaining 3% traveled to countries in Asia.”

These last numbers at once floored me but also made perfect sense. Florida is little Cuba, little Haiti, and other little countries, coming together with the consistency of a gumbo. With immigrants from these and other countries migrating in and out of Florida, it is no wonder we have as many cases of malaria as we do. Also, as the world becomes smaller and travel becomes as easy as going to Publix, travelers return to Florida with the parasite dormant, it manifesting itself after a small period in Florida.