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Case Reports
. 2025 Jun;30(25):2500412.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.25.2500412.

Plasmodium falciparum malaria in six travellers returning from Zanzibar to Italy, December 2023 to February 2025: a case series

Claudia Palazzolo  1 , Angela Corpolongo  1 , Serena Vita  1 , Alessandra D'Abramo  1 , Gaetano Maffongelli  1 , Patrizia De Marco  1 , Jingjing Lin  1 , Silvia D'Arezzo  1 , Marco Cilliano  2 , Maria Laura Pettinato  2 , Maria Grazia Bocci  1 , Emanuele Nicastri  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Plasmodium falciparum malaria in six travellers returning from Zanzibar to Italy, December 2023 to February 2025: a case series

Claudia Palazzolo et al. Euro Surveill. 2025 Jun.

Abstract

Between December 2023 and February 2025, six cases of Plasmodium falciparum malaria were reported in travellers returning to Italy from Zanzibar, a popular tourist destination often perceived as low risk. None had taken prophylaxis, five had severe malaria and two died. Diagnostic delays revealed a lack of clinical suspicion of malaria and awareness among travellers and healthcare professionals. These cases highlight the importance of malaria chemoprophylaxis and prevention for travellers to risk areas in Africa, clinical suspicion and rapid testing.

Keywords: Italy; Malaria; Plasmodium falciparum; Zanzibar; malaria prophylaxis; pre-travel consultations.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

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