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Malaria

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites. Four Plasmodium species (Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae) give disease in humans, and humans are their only relevant reservoir. Once the Plasmodia multiply inside the red blood cells, fever and multi-organ disease may ensue, which can be life-threatening when P. falciparum is involved. Malaria is characterised by fever and influenza-like symptoms, including chills, headache, myalgia, and malaise.

Read more about malaria

Data

Mosquito-borne diseases: An emerging threat

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Facts

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites. During the 20th century, malaria was eradicated from many temperate areas, including the whole of the EU. As a result, the disease is now essentially limited to tropical countries.

Threats and outbreaks

ECDC outbreak reports related to malaria: risk assessments, epidemiological updates, weekly threat reports

Surveillance and disease data

Prevention and control

Prevention of malaria is based on two complementary methods: chemoprophylaxis and protection against mosquito bites. While several malaria vaccines are under development, none is available yet.

The 'Malaria mosquitoes'

Anopheles sacharovi

Anopheles plumbeus - Factsheet for experts

Anopheles labranchiae - Factsheet for experts

Anopheles atroparvus - Factsheet for experts

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Tracking infectious diseases in a warming world

Nov 2020

Publication

Communicable disease threats report, 11-17 October 2020, week 42

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Publication

Communicable disease threats report, 30 August - 5 Sep 2020, week 36

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Peer-Reviewed Publication

The 2019 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: ensuring that the health of a child born today is not defined by a changing climate

Nov 2019

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Health crisis in Venezuela: Status of communicable diseases and implications for the European union and European economic area, may 2019

Jan 2019

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Estimating past, present, and future trends in the global distribution and abundance of the arbovirus vector Aedes aegypti under climate change scenarios

Jan 2019

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Japanese encephalitis

Disease networks

Emerging Viral Diseases-Expert Laboratory Network (EVD-LabNet)

European network for medical and veterinary entomology (VectorNet)