Increased risk of severe malaria in travellers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Franck de Laval, Nancy Maugey, Albane Bonet d’Oléon, Vincent Pommier de Santi, C. Ficko
Abstract
We observed an increase in severe cases of falciparum malaria among French service members (who were travellers in endemic areas) in 2020, which was associated with an increase in the time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis/treatment. The COVID-19 epidemic may have lengthened the malaria diagnosis process, mainly due to clinical similarities.
Topics & Concepts
MedicineMalariaPandemicCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)2019-20 coronavirus outbreakSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Plasmodium falciparumSevere MalariaTravel medicineTropical medicineIntensive care medicineVirologyPediatricsMedical emergencyImmunologyInternal medicineOutbreakInfectious disease (medical specialty)DiseasePathologyMalaria Research and ControlMosquito-borne diseases and controlTravel-related health issues