Malaria cases in Switzerland from 2005 to 2015 and recent rise of imported Plasmodium vivax malaria
Reporting cases of malaria to the Federal Office of Public Health has been mandatory in Switzerland since 1974. We analysed notifications of imported confirmed malaria cases between 2005 and 2015 in Switzerland or Liechtenstein. Data for previously visited countries, nationality and reason for tra...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SMW supporting association (Trägerverein Swiss Medical Weekly SMW)
2017-10-01
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| Series: | Swiss Medical Weekly |
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| Online Access: | https://www.smw.ch/index.php/smw/article/view/2376 |
| _version_ | 1811289207069474816 |
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| author | Gilles Eperon Sophie Durieux-Paillard Anne Mauris François Chappuis Nicole Gysin |
| author_facet | Gilles Eperon Sophie Durieux-Paillard Anne Mauris François Chappuis Nicole Gysin |
| author_sort | Gilles Eperon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Reporting cases of malaria to the Federal Office of Public Health has been mandatory in Switzerland since 1974. We analysed notifications of imported confirmed malaria cases between 2005 and 2015 in Switzerland or Liechtenstein. Data for previously visited countries, nationality and reason for travelling were analysed. In contrast with the impressive drop of malaria cases reported worldwide since 2000, we found that the number of malaria cases imported yearly in Switzerland doubled in 2014 and 2015 compared to the average for the preceding decade. Since 2014, Plasmodium vivax infection represented 36% of all diagnosed malaria cases in Switzerland, compared to 11% in the decade leading to 2013. Most of the vivax malaria patients originated from the Horn of Africa, especially from Eritrea. This rise in cases was a consequence not only of an increase in the number of Eritrean refugees, but also their vivax malaria incidence rate, which jumped from 1–3‰ previously to 12‰ in 2014. This is a trend that is not matched by national statistics in Eritrea. An unreported increased incidence in the country of origin (Eritrea) might be the cause of the rise of Pv cases imported into Switzerland, but infections are also likely to occur along the harsh and long migration journey. This epidemiology highlights the need to register and use primaquine for the treatment of latent-phase P. vivax malaria in Switzerland, a medicine currently neither marketed nor systematically reimbursed. Moreover, general practitioners should be aware of this specific epidemiological situation in order to avoid misdiagnosis of febrile Eritreans even months after they reach Switzerland.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:50:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-125bd10979e0439c9263f8747234d187 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-3997 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:50:50Z |
| publishDate | 2017-10-01 |
| publisher | SMW supporting association (Trägerverein Swiss Medical Weekly SMW) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Swiss Medical Weekly |
| spelling | doaj.art-125bd10979e0439c9263f8747234d1872022-12-22T03:03:50ZengSMW supporting association (Trägerverein Swiss Medical Weekly SMW)Swiss Medical Weekly1424-39972017-10-01147414210.4414/smw.2017.14510Malaria cases in Switzerland from 2005 to 2015 and recent rise of imported Plasmodium vivax malariaGilles Eperon0Sophie Durieux-Paillard1Anne Mauris2François Chappuis3Nicole Gysin4Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Department of Community Medicine, Primary and Emergency Care, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), SwitzerlandMigrant Health Programme, Department of Community Medicine, Primary and Emergency Care, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), SwitzerlandDepartment of Genetics and Laboratory Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Geneva, SwitzerlandDivision of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Department of Community Medicine, Primary and Emergency Care, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), SwitzerlandCommunicable Disease Division, Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), Bern, Switzerland Reporting cases of malaria to the Federal Office of Public Health has been mandatory in Switzerland since 1974. We analysed notifications of imported confirmed malaria cases between 2005 and 2015 in Switzerland or Liechtenstein. Data for previously visited countries, nationality and reason for travelling were analysed. In contrast with the impressive drop of malaria cases reported worldwide since 2000, we found that the number of malaria cases imported yearly in Switzerland doubled in 2014 and 2015 compared to the average for the preceding decade. Since 2014, Plasmodium vivax infection represented 36% of all diagnosed malaria cases in Switzerland, compared to 11% in the decade leading to 2013. Most of the vivax malaria patients originated from the Horn of Africa, especially from Eritrea. This rise in cases was a consequence not only of an increase in the number of Eritrean refugees, but also their vivax malaria incidence rate, which jumped from 1–3‰ previously to 12‰ in 2014. This is a trend that is not matched by national statistics in Eritrea. An unreported increased incidence in the country of origin (Eritrea) might be the cause of the rise of Pv cases imported into Switzerland, but infections are also likely to occur along the harsh and long migration journey. This epidemiology highlights the need to register and use primaquine for the treatment of latent-phase P. vivax malaria in Switzerland, a medicine currently neither marketed nor systematically reimbursed. Moreover, general practitioners should be aware of this specific epidemiological situation in order to avoid misdiagnosis of febrile Eritreans even months after they reach Switzerland. https://www.smw.ch/index.php/smw/article/view/2376Plasmodium vivax |
| spellingShingle | Gilles Eperon Sophie Durieux-Paillard Anne Mauris François Chappuis Nicole Gysin Malaria cases in Switzerland from 2005 to 2015 and recent rise of imported Plasmodium vivax malaria Swiss Medical Weekly Plasmodium vivax |
| title | Malaria cases in Switzerland from 2005 to 2015 and recent rise of imported Plasmodium vivax malaria |
| title_full | Malaria cases in Switzerland from 2005 to 2015 and recent rise of imported Plasmodium vivax malaria |
| title_fullStr | Malaria cases in Switzerland from 2005 to 2015 and recent rise of imported Plasmodium vivax malaria |
| title_full_unstemmed | Malaria cases in Switzerland from 2005 to 2015 and recent rise of imported Plasmodium vivax malaria |
| title_short | Malaria cases in Switzerland from 2005 to 2015 and recent rise of imported Plasmodium vivax malaria |
| title_sort | malaria cases in switzerland from 2005 to 2015 and recent rise of imported plasmodium vivax malaria |
| topic | Plasmodium vivax |
| url | https://www.smw.ch/index.php/smw/article/view/2376 |
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