In an update on the malaria situation in South Africa, health officials in Mpumalanga province have reported more than 1300 malaria cases and 14 deaths, according to a South African media report Thursday.

South Africa/CIA
South Africa/CIA

The Bushbuckridge area recorded the highest number of malaria cases accounting for about half of the 1,330 reported cases were in the area.

This has prompted health officials to commence a fumigation campaign in the province.

The South Africa Ministry of Health has attributed the increase in malaria in the country to the rise in ambient temperature, rainfall and humidity.

Earlier this week, the South African National Parks issued a malaria advisory for visitors to Kruger National Park.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People with malaria often experience fever, chills, and flu-like illness. Left untreated, they may develop severe complications and die. In 2015 an estimated 212 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide and 429,000 people died, mostly children in the African Region.

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