Airport and baggage malaria: what is it and should travelers worry?

A new study found that cases of airport and baggage malaria have increased in Europe.

A study published last week in the journal Eurosurveillance examined 145 cases between 2018 and 2022 – 105 were classified as airport malaria and 32 as baggage malaria.

Despite a decline in travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, more than a third of all cases since 2000 have occurred during this time, with a spike in 2019.

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The global research group defined airport malaria as an infection transmitted at or near an airport through the bite of an infectious mosquito introduced from a malaria-endemic area.

Luggage malaria occurs when an infectious mosquito is transported in luggage and infects a person outside the airport.

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium malariae

In the study, 52 cases of airport malaria were reported in France, 19 in Belgium and nine in Germany. Most of these patients lived or worked near an airport.

Most of these cases occurred between June and September.

“Although it is a real phenomenon, it is very rare and will remain so.”

Baggage malaria was rare; only 32 cases were reported in the five-year study period.

Although France recorded the most cases with 23, Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport was the most cited.

These results underscore the need for effective prevention measures and case surveillance in Europe, the researchers said.

They also recommended following WHO disinfection procedures for aircraft.

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In response to the study, Dr. Fox News chief medical officer Marc Siegel said other insect-related risks are more concerning.

“People are more worried – and should be – about bed bugs coming along with the luggage,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

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“The idea that malaria-infected mosquitoes could become an international health risk is a negative fantasy at best – it will not come true.”

The risk is low, Siegel emphasized, because non-endemic travel destinations are “not a natural habitat for a mosquito.”

“Although it is a real phenomenon, it is very rare and will remain so,” he said.

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According to WHO, malaria is a leading cause of death in developing countries, especially among children and pregnant women.

In 2022, the disease caused 608,000 deaths and approximately 249 million clinical episodes. About 95% of these deaths occurred in the WHO African region.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the researchers for comment.