Probable autochthonous Plasmodium vivax malaria transmission in Michigan: case report and epidemiological investigation.

Abstract

Abstract. In September 1995, a Michigan resident with no history of international travel was diagnosed with Plasmodium vivax infection, and local mosquito-borne transmission was suspected. An epidemiological investigation did not identify additional cases of local transmission, and there was no apparent link to the 12 imported malaria cases detected in the region. Potential sites of nighttime outdoor exposure included a campground in a swampy area, close to a racetrack frequented by international travelers, some of whom were known to come from countries with malaria transmission. Entomological investigation identified Anopheles spp. larvae and adults near the campsite. Summer temperatures 4.2ЊC above average would have contributed to shortened maturation time of P. vivax within the insect vector, increasing the likelihood of infectivity. These investigations indicated that this patient probably acquired P. vivax infection through the bite of a locally infected Anopheles spp. mosquito. Physicians need to consider malaria as a possible cause of unexplained febrile illness, even in the absence of international travel, particularly during the summer months.

Post-Arrival Screening for Malaria in Asymptomatic Refugees Using Real-Time PCR

“…11 Recent guidelines from the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases include malaria testing and treatment at both pre-departure and post-arrival health assessments, regardless of the country of origin. 12 These national strategies aim to reduce the risk of clinical malaria in the individual as well as prevent the autochthonous transmission of malaria in areas where the disease has been eradicated, [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] although the latter concern is of limited relevance in Canada. The effectiveness of strategies based on screening at arrival depends heavily on the proportion of refugees that receive systematic assessment by a clinic with specific expertise in refugee health.…”

Field Evaluations of Topical Arthropod Repellents in North, Central, and South America

“…Cases of traveler-imported arthropod-borne disease and occasional reports of autochthonous transmission (Zucker 1996, Sunstrum et al 2001, Agarwal et al 2012) continue along with occasional outbreaks and localized epidemics (e.g., dengue in southern Florida; Richards et al 2012). A recent outbreak of locally acquired chikungunya in the Caribbean (WHO 2013) is evidence that this disease, once thought limited to areas of Asia and Africa, continues to expand its geographic range.…”

Climate Change and Malaria in Canada: A Systems Approach

“…Global malaria outbreaks have been regularly linked, for example, to heavy rains associated with El-Nino events [64–66]. In the United States, hotter and more humid weather conditions were a common factor in local outbreaks of malaria, including a case at a Michigan campsite in 1995 [1, 68]. These warmer, wetter conditions can increase the survival of the mosquito and reduce the required length of the sporogonic cycle sufficiently to allow the parasite to develop and the mosquito to become infectious where it otherwise would not.…”