Five reports of local malaria transmission have been reported recently in southern Europe. The P. vivax cases from Cyprus were imported to the United Kingdom by travelers returning from the affected area. Three of these events were associated with either mosquito-borne transmission from an imported case (introduced malaria) or an imported infected mosquito (airport malaria), in Greece and northern Cyprus (P. vivax), and in France (P. falciparum). Two of the cases were most likely associated with nosocomial mosquito-borne or iatrogenic transmission of P. falciparum in Italy and Greece. The detailed risk assessment provides detail on the cases and case clusters, information on Anopheles species and the malariogenic potential of vulnerable southern European areas. The risk of further spread of malaria in the EU associated with these events is considered very low. The following options should be considered for preventing and controlling mosquito-borne transmission of malaria: increasing awareness of risk and bite avoidance for travellers and residents in EU areas where introduced malaria has been reported; increasing awareness among clinicians surrounding the sporadic occurrence of locally-acquired malaria cases in the EU; consideration of malaria infection by health practitioners in the EU/EEA Member States in the differential diagnosis for symptomatic persons returning from affected areas in countries with recently recorded local mosquito-borne malaria transmission; rapid notification of cases to ensure the timely implementation of appropriate public health measures in areas with competent vector populations; Healthcare providers should be aware of the risk of nosocomial transmission of malaria and enforce standard precautions to prevent this.
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FAQ
Five reports of local malaria transmission have been reported recently in southern Europe. The P. vivax cases from Cyprus were imported to the United Kingdom by travelers returning from the affected area. Three of these events were associated with either mosquito-borne transmission from an imported case (introduced malaria) or an imported infected mosquito (airport malaria), in Greece and northern Cyprus (P. vivax), and in France (P. falciparum). Two of the cases were most likely associated with nosocomial mosquito-borne or iatrogenic transmission of P. falciparum in Italy and Greece. The detailed risk assessment provides detail on the cases and case clusters, information on Anopheles species and the malariogenic potential of vulnerable southern European areas. The risk of further spread of malaria in the EU associated with these events is considered very low. The following options should be considered for preventing and controlling mosquito-borne transmission of malaria: increasing awareness of risk and bite avoidance for travellers and residents in EU areas where introduced malaria has been reported; increasing awareness among clinicians surrounding the sporadic occurrence of locally-acquired malaria cases in the EU; consideration of malaria infection by health practitioners in the EU/EEA Member States in the differential diagnosis for symptomatic persons returning from affected areas in countries with recently recorded local mosquito-borne malaria transmission; rapid notification of cases to ensure the timely implementation of appropriate public health measures in areas with competent vector populations; Healthcare providers should be aware of the risk of nosocomial transmission of malaria and enforce standard precautions to prevent this.