The life-threatening malaria disease, which is caused by a parasite transmitted by mosquitoes, has been reported in the United States for the first time in 20 years, reports the New York Post.

Two cases of malaria have been found in Florida, one in Texas, and experts are concerned that the infected could leave the US.

The previous case of malaria in the US was recorded in 2003 in Florida.

As a rule, malaria in the US is detected in patients who had traveled abroad.

“It’s always worrisome that you have local transmission in an area,” Estelle Martin, an entomologist at the University of Florida who researches mosquito-borne diseases, told Vox.

Climate change is “definitely playing a role in vector-borne disease” throughout the US, Martin added. 

Symptoms of malaria include fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness.

Experts say that malaria is curable if diagnosed early.