Update: malaria, U.S. Armed Forces, 2012.

U.S. service members are at risk of malaria when they are assigned to endemic areas (e.g., Korea), participate in operations in endemic areas (e.g., Afghanistan, Africa) and visit malarious areas during personal travel. In 2012, 38 service members were reported with malaria, fewer than in any of the past nine years. Nearly two-thirds of cases were presumably acquired in Afghanistan (n=24) and seven cases were considered acquired in Africa. The majority of cases were caused by P. vivax and nearly one-third were reported as "unspecified" malaria. Malaria was diagnosed/reported from 25 different medical facilities in the United States, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Germany, and Korea. The relatively low number of cases in 2012 reflects at least in part the drawdown of troops serving in Afghanistan. Providers of care to military members should be knowledgeable regarding and vigilant for clinical presentations of malaria outside of endemic areas.