Eurosurveillance
Volume 24, Issue 5, 2019
Malaria in Eritrean migrants newly arrived in seven European countries, 2011 to 2016 (Article) (Open Access)
Sondén K.* ,
Rolling T. ,
Wångdahl A. ,
Ydring E. ,
Vygen-Bonnet S. ,
Kobbe R. ,
Douhan J. ,
Hammar U. ,
Duijster J. ,
de Gier B. ,
Freedman J. ,
Gysin N. ,
Stark K. ,
Stevens F. ,
Vestergaard L.S. ,
Tegnell A. ,
Färnert A.
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a
Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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b
Division of Infectious Diseases, I. Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany, Clinical Research Department, Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
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c
Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Infectious Diseases, Västmanland Hospital, Västerås, Sweden
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d
Public Health Agency of Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
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e
Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
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f
Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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g
Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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h
Unit of Biostatistics, Department of Epidemiology, Institute for Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Germany
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i
Department for Early Warning and Surveillance Center for Epidemiology and Surveillance of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Public Health and the Environmen, Bilthoven, Netherlands
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j
Department for Early Warning and Surveillance Center for Epidemiology and Surveillance of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Public Health and the Environmen, Bilthoven, Netherlands
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k
Public Health England, London, United Kingdom
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l
Federal Office of Public Health, Bern, Switzerland
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m
Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
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n
Public Health England, London, United Kingdom
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o
Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
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p
Public Health Agency of Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
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q
Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
Abstract
Global migration has resulted in a large number of asylum applications in Europe. In 2014, clusters of Plasmodium vivax cases were reported among newly arrived Eritreans. This study aimed to assess malaria among Eritrean migrants in Europe from 2011 to 2016. We reviewed European migration numbers and malaria surveillance data for seven countries (Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) which received 44,050 (94.3%) of 46,730 Eritreans seeking asylum in Europe in 2014. The overall number of malaria cases, predominantly P. vivax, increased significantly in 2014 compared to previous years, with the largest increases in Germany (44 P. vivax cases in 2013 vs 294 in 2014, p < 0.001) and Sweden (18 in 2013 vs 205 in 2014, p < 0.001). Overall, malaria incidence in Eritreans increased from 1-5 to 25 cases per 1,000, and was highest in male teenagers (50 cases/1,000). In conclusion, an exceptional increase of malaria cases occurred in Europe in 2014 and 2015, due to rising numbers of Eritreans with high incidence of P. vivax arriving in Europe. Our results demonstrate potential for rapid changes in imported malaria patterns, highlighting the need for improved awareness, surveillance efforts and timely healthcare in migrants. © 2019, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). All rights reserved.
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Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85061157735&doi=10.2807%2f1560-7917.ES.2019.24.5.1800139&partnerID=40&md5=63a4ee6ac992d551008fadbba0cd18b3
DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.5.1800139
ISSN: 1025496X
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English