Increase of malaria among migrants in Amsterdam-Zuidoost

ABSTRACT

In a general practice in Amsterdam SouthEast in 1998 a delayed first attack of Plasmodium ovale infection was diagnosed in a 13-year-old-girl from Ghana, malaria tropica with a low parasitaemia index in a 43-year-old Ghanaian man and a 8-year-old Ghanaian girl, and a Plasmodium vivax infection in a 44-year-old Surinam woman. The Ghanaian patients had visited their native country, the Surinam woman had contracted the infection during a visit to India. All patients responded well to antimalaria medication. These patients were among a total of 6 patients of non-Dutch origin diagnosed with malaria in 1998 in this general practice. Four patients had not taken any prophylactic drug and two had not used the drugs properly. A relative increase of malaria in immigrants has been seen in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in recent years. Underestimation of the risks and lack of knowledge of malaria and of the changing epidemiology make people of ethnic minorities travel without taking appropriate precautions. New, creative ways of communication and information will have to be explored to reach these migrant communities. (AU)