Two fatal autochthonous cases of airport malaria, Belgium, 2020

A new publication came out reporting an outbreak investigation of two fatal cases of autochthonous Plasmodium falciparum malaria that occurred in Belgium in September 2020. Various hypotheses of the potential source of infection were investigated. The most likely route of transmission was through an infectious exotic Anopheles mosquito that was imported via the international airport of Brussels or the military airport Melsbroek. Although airport malaria remains a rare event, it has significant implications, as delayed or missed diagnosis of the cause of illness often results in complications and mortality. Therefore, to prevent such severe or fatal outcomes, a number of public health actions are discussed including increased awareness among health practitioners, and increased surveillance of exotic mosquito species at airports. The full publication is available via this link.