Background There are differences between males and females for most diseases both for exposure and course of illness, including outcome. These differences can be related to biological sex or gender i.e. socio-cultural factors that may impact exposure and healthcare access. Aim We aimed to quantify differences between males and females in infectious disease notifications in Europe and identify countries with these differences significantly different from the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) average. Methods Notifiable infectious disease surveillance data are reported by EU/EEA countries to ECDC. We retrieved surveillance data for 2012−2021. Using a cut-off median of annual disability-adjusted life years above 1 per 100,000 population, we included 16 infectious diseases. We calculated median male proportion and interquartile range by disease, year, country and age group and used boxplots to identify outliers. Results For campylobacteriosis, acute hepatitis B, Legionnaires’ disease, malaria and HIV and AIDS, all countries had male proportion above 50%. Most countries had a male proportion below 50% for pertussis (25/28 countries), STEC infection (21/28 countries) and Chlamydia trachomatis infection (16/24 countries). Chlamydia trachomatis infection and listeriosis showed the greatest dispersion of male proportion across age groups. Most outliers were countries reporting few cases. Conclusion We observed important differences in male proportion across infectious disease notifications in EU/EEA countries. For some diseases with high male proportions in all countries, such as HIV and hepatitis B, behaviours play a role in disease transmission. Screening offered to specific populations may explain differences across countries for example for C. trachomatis infection. …

The world\'s second vaccine against malaria was launched on Monday as Ivory Coast began a routine vaccine programme using shots developed by the University of Oxford and the... Reuters Health Information…

Data suggested that the administration of a single dose of a monoclonal antibody to school-aged children could reduce morbidity within this population. Medscape Medical News…

This report describes an increase in cases of imported malaria in three U.S. southern border jurisdictions.

Bekæmpelsen af malaria er i de senere år gået den forkerte vej. Det skyldes blandt andet øget resistens, følger af covid-19-pandemien, de globale klimaforandringer og faldende finansiering til malariabekæmpelse. Introduktionen af de første malariavacciner i mange afrikanske lande i 2024 er et lille lyspunkt.

Statens Serum Institut skal teste en ny malariavaccine på forsøgsdeltagere i Mali. Forsøget skal vise, om vaccinen kan forhindre malariainfektion.

Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, nature-based solutions such as urban greening e.g. public gardens, urban forests, parks and street trees, which aim to protect, sustainably manage or restore an ecosystem, have emerged as a promising tool for improving the health and well-being of an ever-increasing urban population. While urban greening efforts have undeniable benefits for human health and the biological communities inhabiting these green zones, disease vector populations may also be affected, possibly promoting greater pathogen transmission and the emergence of infectious diseases such as dengue, West Nile fever, malaria, leishmaniosis and tick-borne diseases. Evidence for the impact of urban green areas on vector-borne disease (VBD) transmission is scarce. Furthermore, because of vast disparities between cities, variation in green landscapes and differing scales of observation, findings are often contradictory; this calls for careful assessment of how urban greening affects VBD risk. Improved understanding of the effect of urban greening on VBDs would support planning, monitoring and management of green spaces in cities to sustainably mitigate VBD risks for surrounding urban populations. …

The vaccine protected children under the age of 1.5 years against infection with an efficacy of 68%-75%. Medscape Medical News…

A malaria vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India prevented around three-quarters of symptomatic malaria cases in young children the... Reuters Health Information…

Airport malaria is uncommon but increasing in Europe and often difficult to diagnose. We describe the clinical, epidemiological and environmental investigations of a cluster of airport malaria cases and measures taken in response. Three Frankfurt International Airport employees without travel histories to malaria-endemic areas were diagnosed with Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Germany in 2022. Two cases were diagnosed within 1 week, and the third one after 10 weeks. Two cases had severe disease, all three recovered fully. The cases worked in separate areas and no specific location for the transmissions could be identified. No additional cases were detected among airport employees. In June and July, direct flights from Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Angola and one parcel originating in Ghana arrived at Frankfurt airport. No vector-competent mosquitoes could be trapped to identify the source of the outbreak. Whole genome sequencing of P. falciparum genomes showed a high genetic relatedness between samples of the three cases and suggested the geographical origin closest to Ghana. A diagnosis of airport malaria should prompt appropriate and comprehensive outbreak investigations to identify the source and to prevent severe forms of falciparum malaria. …

The global status of malaria has been affected by factors such as the pandemic, which significantly disrupted malaria services, treatment, and diagnosis worldwide. Medscape Medical News…

This report describes cases of locally acquired mosquito-transmitted malaria in Maryland in August2023.

This report describes eight cases of autochthonous malaria reported to CDC by health departments in Florida and Texas.

The federal health agency issued a nationwide warning on Monday to health providers and officials to be on the lookout for symptoms of the potentially fatal illness. WebMD Health News…

Hantavirus -- PanamaThe latest report published by the Department of Epidemiology, the Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud;Minsa), released the updated cases to date of dengue, hantavirus, malaria, leishmaniasis, and chikungunya in the country.Regarding the confirmed cases of hantavirus infection to date, a total of 17 cases have been registered throughout the country, 11 of whom have hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome: 10 of these are alive and the 1 who died was registered in Herrera province. There…

Malaria -- KenyaHealth experts have said that Western and Nyanza regions have recorded high numbers of malaria positivity cases in the survey conducted by the Ministry of Health.Speaking at Bungoma County Referral Hospital on Tuesday [25 Apr 2023] during World Malaria Day, Dr Charles Chege said that over the years Western and Nyanza regions have recorded high numbers of malaria cases. Chege is the head of the vector control national malaria program.He also said World Malaria Day is important because…

Malaria -- Venezuela1. Recht J, Siqueira A M, Monteiro W M, et al. Malaria in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela: current challenges in malaria control and elimination. Malar J. 2017; 16(273); .2. Grillet M E, Moreno J E, Hernández-Villena J V, et al. Malaria in Southern Venezuela: The hottest hotspot in Latin America. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021; 15(1): e0008211; doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008211.3. Forero-Peña D A, Carrión-Nessi F S, Chavero M, et al. The clinical-epidemiological profile of malaria…

Malaria -- CambodiaNagaland has been witnessing a decrease in Malaria positive cases -- from 8479 in 2009 to only 5 in 2022 while malaria deaths is also down from 35 to zero during the same period, a health department official said.State Programme Officer, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Dr Neisakho Kere said this while making a presentation during the observation of World Malaria Day on the theme \'Time to deliver zero Malaria: invest, innovate, implement\' here on Tuesday [25 Apr…

Malaria -- United StatesA 14-year-old Iowa middle schooler who earned the nickname \'Cheetah\' for his speed on the football field has died of the mosquito-borne disease malaria.[SN] recently visited his home country of Liberia in West Africa for the 1st time in 8 years, and he began feeling sick 2 weeks after returning home to Iowa, according to the Metro Youth Football Association. He was diagnosed with malaria and was taken to Iowa City Children\'s Hospital, where he died Saturday [22 Apr 2023], the football…

Det er FN’s internationale malariadag, World Malaria Day, den 25. april 2023. Dagen er en påmindelse om, at der skal gøres mere for at bekæmpe malaria, som stadig er en af verdens største globale dræbersygdomme. Og at vi har redskaberne til at gøre det.

Malaria -- Costa RicaIn a follow-up on the malaria outbreak situation in the Huetar Caribbean Region of Costa Rica, the Health Surveillance Directorate of the Ministry of Health reports a total of 115 positive cases of malaria in the Huetar Caribe region, with a total of 60 cases in Pococí, 51 in the canton of Limón, 2 in Matina, one in Guácimo, and one case in Siquirres.The distribution by sex is 70 men and 45 women with an age range of 20 to 39 years.The Ministry of Health, in conjunction with the…

Malaria -- GhanaGhana has become the 1st country to approve a highly effective malaria vaccine developed at Oxford university in the UK.The R21/Matrix-M vaccine, the 1st to exceed the World Health Organization\'s target of 75% efficacy, has been cleared for use by Ghana\'s Food and Drugs Authority in children aged 5-36 months, the group at highest risk of death from malaria.Prof Adrian Hill, the director of the Jenner Institute, which is part of the Nuffield Department of medicine at Oxford University,…

Malaria -- Saudi ArabiaAbstract--------Background: Malaria transmission was stopped on most of the vast area of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, the pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has negatively affected the efforts to control malaria. For instance, COVID-19 was reported to induce a relapse of malaria that is caused by _Plasmodium vivax_. Furthermore, physicians\' attention toward COVID-19 can only result in neglect and delayed diagnosis of complicated malaria cases. These factors, among others,…

Dengue -- Solomon IslandsThe Head of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) Malaria Program, Mr. Albino Bobogare told local media last week Friday [31 Mar 2023] that Honiara including Malaita, Central Islands, Guadalcanal and Temotu Provinces are currently experiencing increases in the number of malaria and dengue cases but not outbreak.He explained that for dengue, there is only an outbreak when there is a new strain circulating. \'Currently the type 2 dengue which is already in country is circulating…

Statens Serum Institut anbefaler ikke længere rutinemæssig anvendelse af tabletter mod malaria til rejsende til de fleste lande/områder i Sydøstasien og i Mellem- og Sydamerika. Og vaccination mod tuberkulose anbefales primært til børn op til 11-12-års-alderen.

Forslagene til vaccination og malariaforebyggelse er opdateret.

Malaria -- Costa RicaDr Carla Alfaro Fajardo, director of the Huetar Atlántica region\'s health services network, confirmed that CCSS [Caja Costarricense De Seguro Social; Costa Rican Social Security Fund] personnel are following up 62 cases of malaria in Limón. \'We have a malaria outbreak concentrated in the canton of Pococí, specifically in Cariari, and in the central canton of Limón, specifically in Moín and in various neighborhoods of the community of La Colina,\' the expert highlighted.In a press…

Malaria -- MyanmarMalaria has surged by more than 1000% in eastern Myanmar since 2020, a blow in a region pushing to eliminate the deadly parasitic disease by 2030. Across Kayin state -- a mountainous, forested province also known as Karen -- 4510 cases were reported in January 2023, compared to just 399 over the same period in 2020. Last year, roughly 32 000 cases were reported overall -- in both 2019 and 2020, that figure hovered at around 8000.According to the figures from the Shoklo Malaria Research…

Malaria -- United KingdomIn September 2022, the 1st case of _Plasmodium falciparum_ artemisinin drug-resistant malaria (carrying the variant pfk13_675V) was reported in a UK resident who travelled to Uganda, an important destination for UK travellers.Artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) consists of 2 or more drugs with different types of action on the malaria parasite and is the recommended choice of treatment for _P. falciparum_ malaria. Following this case, the Malaria Reference Laboratory is monitoring closely…