1887
Surveillance Open Access
Like 0

Abstract

Background

In European France, the bulk of malaria cases are travel-related, and only locally acquired cases are notifiable to assess any risk of re-emergence.

Aims

We aimed to contribute to assessing the health impact of locally acquired malaria and the potential of malaria re-emergence in European France by documenting modes of transmission of locally acquired malaria, the species involved and their incidence trends.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed surveillance and case investigation data on locally acquired malaria from 1995 to 2022. We classified cases by most likely mode of transmission using a classification derived from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. A descriptive analysis was conducted to identify spatial and temporal patterns of cases.

Results

From 1995 to 2022, European France reported 117 locally acquired malaria cases, mostly due to (88%) and reported in Île-de-France (54%), Paris Region. Cases were classified as Odyssean malaria (n = 51), induced malaria (n = 36), cryptic malaria (n = 27) and introduced malaria (n = 3). Among the 117 patients, 102 (93%) were hospitalised, 24 (22%) had severe malaria and seven (7%) died.

Conclusion

Locally acquired malaria remains infrequent in European France, with four reported cases per year since 1995. However, with the recent increasing trend in Odyssean malaria and climate change, the risk of re-emergence in non-endemic countries should be monitored, particularly in areas with autochthonous competent vectors. The vital risk of delayed diagnosis should make physicians consider locally acquired malaria in all patients with unexplained fever, especially when thrombocytopenia is present, even without travel history.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.41.2400133
2024-10-10
2024-11-21
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.41.2400133
Loading
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/eurosurveillance/29/41/eurosurv-29-41-3.html?itemId=/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.41.2400133&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. World Health Organization (WHO). World malaria report 2023. Geneva: WHO; 2023. Available from: https://www.who.int/teams/global-malaria-programme/reports/world-malaria-report-2023
  2. Piperaki ET, Daikos GL. Malaria in Europe: emerging threat or minor nuisance? Clin Microbiol Infect. 2016;22(6):487-93.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2016.04.023  PMID: 27172807 
  3. Van Bortel W, Van den Poel B, Hermans G, Vanden Driessche M, Molzahn H, Deblauwe I, et al. Two fatal autochthonous cases of airport malaria, Belgium, 2020. Euro Surveill. 2022;27(16):2100724.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.16.2100724  PMID: 35451360 
  4. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Rapid risk assessment: Multiple reports of locally-acquired malaria infections in the EU. Stockholm: ECDC; 2017. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/rapid-risk-assessment-multiple-reports-locally-acquired-malaria-infections-eu
  5. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Malaria - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2022. Stockholm: ECDC; 2024. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/malaria-annual-epidemiological-report-2022
  6. Boccolini D, Menegon M, Di Luca M, Toma L, Severini F, Marucci G, et al. Non-imported malaria in Italy: paradigmatic approaches and public health implications following an unusual cluster of cases in 2017. BMC Public Health. 2020;20(1):857.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08748-9  PMID: 32503526 
  7. Danis K, Lenglet A, Tseroni M, Baka A, Tsiodras S, Bonovas S. Malaria in Greece: historical and current reflections on a re-emerging vector borne disease. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2013;11(1):8-14.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2013.01.001  PMID: 23434287 
  8. Velasco E, Gomez-Barroso D, Varela C, Diaz O, Cano R. Non-imported malaria in non-endemic countries: a review of cases in Spain. Malar J. 2017;16(1):260.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-017-1915-8  PMID: 28662650 
  9. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Malaria - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2021. Stockholm: ECDC; 2023. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/malaria-annual-epidemiological-report-2021
  10. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Malaria - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2020. Stockholm: ECDC; 2023. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/malaria-annual-epidemiological-report-2020
  11. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Malaria - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2018. Stockholm: ECDC; 2020. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/malaria-annual-epidemiological-report-2018
  12. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Malaria - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2017. Stockholm: ECDC; 2019. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/malaria-annual-epidemiological-report-2017
  13. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Malaria - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2016. Stockholm: ECDC; 2019. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/malaria-annual-epidemiological-report-2016
  14. Danis K, Baka A, Lenglet A, Van Bortel W, Terzaki I, Tseroni M, et al. Autochthonous Plasmodium vivax malaria in Greece, 2011. Euro Surveill. 2011;16(42):19993.  https://doi.org/10.2807/ese.16.42.19993-en  PMID: 22027375 
  15. Toty C, Barré H, Le Goff G, Larget-Thiéry I, Rahola N, Couret D, et al. Malaria risk in Corsica, former hot spot of malaria in France. Malar J. 2010;9(1):231.  https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-9-231  PMID: 20704707 
  16. Ponçon N, Toty C, L’Ambert G, Le Goff G, Brengues C, Schaffner F, et al. Biology and dynamics of potential malaria vectors in Southern France. Malar J. 2007;6(1):18.  https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-6-18  PMID: 17313664 
  17. Bertola M, Mazzucato M, Pombi M, Montarsi F. Updated occurrence and bionomics of potential malaria vectors in Europe: a systematic review (2000-2021). Parasit Vectors. 2022;15(1):88.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-022-05204-y  PMID: 35292106 
  18. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Anopheles plumbeus - Factsheet for experts. Stockholm: ECDC; 2017. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/disease-vectors/facts/mosquito-factsheets/anopheles-plumbeus
  19. Kendjo E, Houzé S, Mouri O, Taieb A, Gay F, Jauréguiberry S, et al. Epidemiologic trends in malaria incidence among travelers returning to Metropolitan France, 1996-2016. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(4):e191691.  https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.1691  PMID: 30951158 
  20. Tarantola A, Rachline A, Konto C, Houzé S, Sabah-Mondan C, Vrillon H, et al. Occupational Plasmodium falciparum malaria following accidental blood exposure: a case, published reports and considerations for post-exposure prophylaxis. Scand J Infect Dis. 2005;37(2):131-40.  https://doi.org/10.1080/23744235.2019.12062304  PMID: 15776522 
  21. Coppée R, Sarrasin V, Zaffaroulah R, Bouzayene A, Thellier M, Noël H, et al. nosocomial malaria transmissions resolved by genomic analyses-a retrospective case report study in France: 2007-2021. Clin Infect Dis. 2023;76(4):631-9.  https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciac813  PMID: 36208204 
  22. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Rapid risk assessment: Hospital-acquired malaria infections in the European Union. Stockholm: ECDC; 2018. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/rapid-risk-assessment-hospital-acquired-malaria-infections-european-union
  23. Groupe recommandations de la Société de Pathologie Infectieuse, de Langue Française (SPILF). Prise en charge et prévention du paludisme d’importation - RCP 2017. [Management and prevention of imported malaria – clinical practice guidelines 2017]. Infectiologie.com; 2017. Available from: https://www.infectiologie.com/fr/actualites/paludisme-rcp-2017_-n.html
  24. Centre national de référence du Paludisme. Rapport annuel d’activité 2019. Paris: National Reference Centre for malaria; 2020. Available from: https://cnr-paludisme.fr/activites-dexpertise/rapports-dactivites
  25. Gebreweld A, Erkihun Y, Feleke DG, Hailu G, Fiseha T. Thrombocytopenia as a diagnostic marker for malaria in patients with acute febrile illness. J Trop Med. 2021;2021:5585272.  https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5585272  PMID: 33936215 
  26. Hertig E. Distribution of Anopheles vectors and potential malaria transmission stability in Europe and the Mediterranean area under future climate change. Parasit Vectors. 2019;12(1):18.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-3278-6  PMID: 30621785 
  27. Ryan SJ, Lippi CA, Villena OC, Singh A, Murdock CC, Johnson LR. Mapping current and future thermal limits to suitability for malaria transmission by the invasive mosquito Anopheles stephensi. Malar J. 2023;22(1):104.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-023-04531-4  PMID: 36945014 
  28. Krüger A, Rech A, Su XZ, Tannich E. Two cases of autochthonous Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Germany with evidence for local transmission by indigenous Anopheles plumbeus. Trop Med Int Health. 2001;6(12):983-5.  https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3156.2001.00816.x  PMID: 11737834 
  29. Schaffner F, Thiéry I, Kaufmann C, Zettor A, Lengeler C, Mathis A, et al. Anopheles plumbeus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Europe: a mere nuisance mosquito or potential malaria vector? Malar J. 2012;11(1):393.  https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-11-393  PMID: 23181931 
  30. Tanne JH. CDC reports locally acquired malaria in two US states. BMJ. 2023;381:1484.  https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.p1484  PMID: 37380189 
  31. Tatem AJ, Jia P, Ordanovich D, Falkner M, Huang Z, Howes R, et al. The geography of imported malaria to non-endemic countries: a meta-analysis of nationally reported statistics. Lancet Infect Dis. 2017;17(1):98-107.  https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(16)30326-7  PMID: 27777030 
  32. Pondorfer SG, Jaeger VK, Scholz-Kreisel P, Horn J, Krumkamp R, Kreuels B, et al. Risk estimation for air travel-induced malaria transmission in central Europe - A mathematical modelling study. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2020;36:101564.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2020.101564  PMID: 32004733 
  33. Wieters I, Eisermann P, Borgans F, Giesbrecht K, Goetsch U, Just-Nübling G, et al. Two cases of airport-associated falciparum malaria in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, October 2019. Euro Surveill. 2019;24(49):1900691.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.49.1900691  PMID: 31822328 
  34. Kessel J, Rosanas-Urgell A, Dingwerth T, Goetsch U, Haller J, Huits R, et al. Investigation of an airport-associated cluster of falciparum malaria in Frankfurt, Germany, 2022. Euro Surveill. 2024;29(5):2300298.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.5.2300298  PMID: 38304950 
  35. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). 2021 global air passenger totals show improvement from 2020, but still only half pre-pandemic levels. Montreal: ICAO; 2022. Available from: https://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/2021-global-air-passenger-totals-show-improvement.aspx
  36. World Health Organization (WHO). WHO aircraft disinsection methods and procedures, 2nd ed. Geneva: WHO; 2023. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240080317
  37. Alenou LD, Etang J. Airport malaria in non-endemic areas: new insights into mosquito vectors, case management and major challenges. Microorganisms. 2021;9(10):2160.  https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9102160  PMID: 34683481 
  38. Ashley EA, White NJ. The duration of Plasmodium falciparum infections. Malar J. 2014;13(1):500.  https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-13-500  PMID: 25515943 
  39. Fradejas I, Rubio JM, Martín-Díaz A, Herrero-Martínez JM, Ruiz-Giardin JM, Rojo-Marcos G, et al. Prevalence of submicroscopic malaria infection in immigrants living in Spain. Malar J. 2019;18(1):242.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-019-2870-3  PMID: 31315624 
  40. Zoller T, Naucke TJ, May J, Hoffmeister B, Flick H, Williams CJ, et al. Malaria transmission in non-endemic areas: case report, review of the literature and implications for public health management. Malar J. 2009;8(1):71.  https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-8-71  PMID: 19379496 
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.41.2400133
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Submit comment
Close
Comment moderation successfully completed
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error