The Tripler Army Medical Center today confirmed it recently admitted and released a patient with malaria following successful treatment.

The patient developed malaria symptoms following leisure travel outside of the U.S., according to Tripler, which said it has notified the Hawaii Department of Health of the case.

Malaria is a serious disease caused by a parasite that infects a certain type of mosquito — the Anopheles mosquito, which is not found in Hawaii — according to the state Health Department.

Symptoms of malaria include fever, chills, backache and headache, usually seven to 21 days after the mosquito bite.

Malaria is transmitted via mosquitoes and is not spread through person-to-person contact, according to Tripler, so there are no immediate concerns for public health and safety.

The risk of malaria in the U.S. is very low, with most cases being in people who have traveled to areas where malaria spreads in parts of Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.

The state Health Department also considers the risk of malaria in Hawaii to be low since the Anopheles mosquito is not found here. However, persons infected overseas have been diagnosed with malaria after their arrival in Hawaii.

More information on malaria is available from the Health Department’s Disease Outbreak Control Division.