RESUMO
In recent days immigrants represent the main risk group for imported malaria in northern countries. Most of them are migrants returning to their country of origin to visit friends and relatives (VFR). We retrospectively examined the main clinical, biological, and therapeutic data of all malaria cases in immigrants from 2006 to 2010 in Tenon hospital, Paris. The hospital is situated in a Paris district with an important African community. During the study period 239 imported malaria cases were observed in adults of which 199 were immigrants, 186 VFR, and 13 recently arrived. Most cases were from sub-Saharan Africa and Comoro islands. Chimioprophylaxis was not taken in 81.2% of VFR. It was inadequate in 43.7% and not taken correctly in 84.4%. Plasmodium falciparum was the most frequent species identified: 190/199 (95.5%). Severe P. falciparum malaria was observed in 25 cases (13.2%); two of them were recently arrived. One patient, African VFR, died. In this series two high-risk groups were represented: HIV-infected patients and pregnant women. Six of the HIV patients had severe malaria and all pregnant women had anemia. Our results are similar to those observed recently in other European countries. Mean age of VFR is increasing and the risk for severe P. falciparum malaria became identical to the one observed in non-immune travelers. Protection measures remain still insufficient in this population of travelers.