How to Report a Case of Malaria

Malaria is a reportable disease in the United States and its territories. Health-care providers are required to report all cases of laboratory-confirmed malaria occurring in the United States and its territories to their local or state health department. Reports including epidemiological and clinical information on malaria cases diagnosed in the United States are transmitted to CDC through the National Malaria Surveillance System (NMSS).

CDC provides a malaria case surveillance report form with directions:

• Malaria Case Surveillance Report Form [PDF, 2 pages, 57 KB]
• Directions for Malaria Case Surveillance Report Form [PDF, 3 pages, 64 KB]

Print and mail the completed form to the address at the top of the surveillance form or fax it to CDC, Malaria Branch, at 404-718-4815. For more information regarding the malaria surveillance system or assistance in completing the form, please call the Malaria Branch at 770-488-7788 or toll-free at 855-856-4713.

Species Confirmation and Drug Resistance Surveillance

Laboratories that have diagnosed a case of malaria should send a pre-treatment whole blood sample (EDTA) to CDC for species confirmation and evaluation for emerging drug resistance. This testing is provided free of charge and CDC will send results back to the submitter.
 

• Instructions for shipping specimens to CDC [PDF, 1 page, 84 KB]
• Specimen submission form [PDF, 2 pages]

More on: The Case Definition for Malaria