October 10th, 2010
The last time the country of Spain had seen an indigenous case of malaria was 1961, until last month. A patient with no travel history from the Huesca province has been confirmed with an infection with the parasite, Plasmodium vivax.
Spanish health authorities call this an “epidemiological curiosity” and say the case poses no risk to the public.
Health officials say that the individual contracted the through the bite of an Anopheles
atroparvus mosquito.
Reports say that the patient has been treated and is recovering.
Malaria is not rare in Spain with upwards of 500 cases seen annually, however all cases are attributed to traveling abroad and are considered “imported”.
The specific species of malaria in this case, Plasmodium vivax, typically is a relatively mild form of the disease and is not usually fatal.
Malaria was officially declared eradicated in Spain in 1964.
http://www.examiner.com/infectious-disease-in-national/1st-indigenous-case-of-malaria-spain-nearly-50-years
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