World Malaria Day, 798 cases in Italy, almost all imported

On World Malaria Day, celebrated on 25 April, the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) announced that, although malaria has been eradicated in Italy, several hundred cases are recorded yearly, most of which are imported. In particular, in the pre-pandemic period 2017-2019, a certain stability was observed, with an average number of 788 cases per year. In the following two years, due to the restrictive measures on international travel implemented to combat the Coronavirus pandemic, a significant decrease in cases was observed. In the post-pandemic period, a slow recovery in infections was noted, with 596 cases in 2022 and 798 cases in 2023. The majority of these cases were imported, involving foreigners returning from trips to their countries of origin for work (46%), tourism (26%), or volunteering (19%). In Italy, malaria is subject to mandatory notification under the country’s infectious disease legislation. The epidemiological surveillance system is overseen by the Ministry of Health and the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in close collaboration with local health system structures and according to the guidelines outlined in the relevant ministerial circular. However, the ISS has warned that the lack of a fully effective vaccine, the spread of drug- and insecticide-resistant plasmodia, and recent climate changes are a concrete health threat to half of the world’s population.