A young Parisian couple affected by malaria has been hospitalized at the Nice University Hospital since August 23rd. Currently, their health condition is improving. They exhibited the first symptoms shortly after their arrival in the south of France. However, contamination in Nice seems to be ruled out, with the most probable hypothesis being “airport malaria” contracted at Roissy.
The CNR, National Reference Center, confirmed the malaria diagnosis from the Nice University Hospital yesterday. A search for the mosquito vector, Anopheles, was conducted around the vacation spot of the young couple, without success. The contamination likely did not occur at St. Raphaël in the Var, where the vacationers were staying.
They had previously stayed near the Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport, making a case of so-called “autonomous” contamination likely. These are very rare, ranging from 0 to 1 case per year, but possible near international airports where infection-carrying mosquitoes can arrive. Such contaminations must be reported to the DDASS.
The latest autonomous contaminations in France date back to 1999, but malaria is continuously present in the country. Some 5300 people affected by malaria entered France in 2006, compared to about 7000 in 2000. The main contamination zone is intertropical Africa, and France is one of the Western countries most affected by this “imported” malaria. The symptoms include persistent fever and a decrease in blood platelet count.
