First Local Malaria Cases in 6 Years Detected in Cayo District

The Ministry of Health & Wellness has confirmed the first locally transmitted malaria cases in over six years in Santa Elena Town and Cristo Rey Village, Cayo District. This development marks a significant setback in Belize’s efforts to prevent the re-establishment of malaria. Malaria, a febrile disease caused by parasites and transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito, typically results in episodes of fever, chills, and sweating every forty-eight to seventy-two hours. The initial case was detected on January seventeenth, followed by additional cases on March eleventh and April fifth. Of the four confirmed cases in 2025, three are locally transmitted, while one is imported from Petén, Guatemala. The Ministry urges the public to remain vigilant and take preventive measures to avoid mosquito bites, as efforts continue to control and eliminate malaria in the region. On Monday, Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa briefly addressed the issue of malaria.

 

Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director, Public Health and Wellness

“Just to advise you that when we, as, ministry state that we have eliminated or we have received certification of elimination, many times, it doesn’t mean that there’s zero case, but you have fallen below a certain threshold. And we also W.H.O. looks at consecutive years of how the country has responded before they can determine whether that certification has been removed or whether we remain in certification. So it’s not a hard and fast one-off case and your certification has been removed.”