A Morris County resident may have contracted the illness locally, which would be the first known instance in decades of someone being exposed while in the state.

Health officials in New Jersey are investigating a case of malaria, the potentially deadly mosquito-transmitted disease, in a Morris County resident with no international travel history. That means it is possible the infection happened locally,

If confirmed, it would be the first case of locally acquired malaria in New Jersey since 1991. There are about 100 travel-related cases in the state each year, health officials said.