Two people living in Belgium have contracted malaria, the potentially life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes. The number of cases in the country is expected to increase in the coming years.
Two people were diagnosed with malaria in Belgium in the past two months though neither was infected in a tropical region where the disease is usually contracted. Instead, both were stung by a "travelling mosquito" in Belgium, Mediahuis newspapers reported.
One case involved a man working at Brussels Airport in Zaventem who came into contact with a travelling mosquito – a phenomenon referred to as "airport malaria". The second involved a woman travelling via Liège airport who was stung by a mosquito that had survived a journey in her suitcase – "suitcase malaria".
Rising cases
While it remains extremely rare for people to contract malaria in Belgium, cases are rising. At least one case per year has been recorded for the past five years.
The rise in international air traffic increases the chances of an infected mosquito travelling in the hold or a suitcase. The Care Agency is therefore calling for extra vigilance in airports. Belgian airports are on high alert for malaria mosquitos as well as tiger mosquitos and yellow fever mosquitos.
Staff are called on to be alert, to take pictures of any they see and, if possible, catch them. Several posters and information sessions point staff to the risks.
Belgium's warmer weather also makes the country more hospitable for any insects that do make it here. Malaria mosquitoes cannot establish themselves in the country's climate but they can survive some time in a warmer period "travelling" to Belgium.
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The agency therefore asked doctors to be more alert for malaria symptoms during the summer, even if the patient has not travelled to a risky country. The symptoms are very similar to the flu – fever, muscle and headaches, diarrhoea and chills – and in worse cases, it can lead to shortness of breath, jaundice, confusion and even coma. Some people do not get sick until they return home, as there can be 10 to 30 days between mosquito bites and symptoms.
While malaria is curable, it still kills more than half a million people every year. One Belgian couple died after contracting the disease in 2020. The majority of victims (80%) are under five years old, while more than 50% of all deaths occurred in just four countries – Nigeria (31%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12%), Niger (6%), and Tanzania (4%).
