Adnkronos Rome, April 24 (Adnkronos Salute) – It is a disease known since ancient times, which still today represents a health threat for half the world's population: malaria. "In 2023, according to the latest report from the World Health Organization, 263 million cases were recorded globally and 597 thousand deaths. In Italy it has now been eradicated, but every year a few hundred imported cases are still recorded, 798 in 2023 alone".
The Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) takes stock of the situation on the occasion of World Malaria Day, which is celebrated tomorrow, "to remember how this disease is still a threat to global health, made even more dangerous by the lack of a completely effective vaccine - warns the ISS - by the spread of drug-resistant plasmodia, by mosquitoes resistant to insecticides and last but not least by climate changes that are allowing mosquitoes to gain ever more territories".
The situation in Italy. "In the pre-pandemic period 2017-2019 - reports the ISS - a certain stability was observed, with an average number of 788 cases. In 2020-2021, due to the restrictive measures on international travel implemented to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, a drastic decrease in malaria notifications was observed, with an average number of cases of 181 and 433, respectively. In the post-pandemic period, a slow recovery in cases was noted, with 596 in 2022 and 798 cases in 2023. Most of them (about 700 in 2023) are imported cases involving foreigners returning from trips to their countries of origin. The reason for traveling to endemic areas for Italians mainly included work trips (46%), followed by tourism (26%) and volunteering/religious mission (19%). Foreigners instead reported short trips to their countries of origin as the main reason (80%), while for 13% are new arrivals in Italy".
In Italy, malaria is among the infectious diseases subject to mandatory notification. The Ministry of Health and the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, in close collaboration with the local structures of the national health system, ensure an efficient surveillance system for this disease following the guidelines reported in the dedicated ministerial circular.
"In 2022 - continues the ISS - the countries of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) that reported national cases of malaria were 28, with a total of 6.131 confirmed cases (0,8 cases per 100 inhabitants). France reported the highest number of cases, followed by Germany, Spain, Italy and Belgium. 99,8% of the cases were associated with travel to endemic areas. Thirteen cases were reported as locally acquired: 7 in France, 3 in Germany, 2 in Spain and 1 in Ireland".
Malaria "is a disease closely linked to the history of our country, with many areas that until a few years ago were infested by it, and to that of this institute - the ISS points out - which was founded in 1934 also to plan the fight against this disease and which still today carries out surveillance in addition to various research activities. This year, an additional opportunity to put the spotlight on malaria comes from an important anniversary. One hundred years ago, on May 4, 1925, Giovanni Battista Grassi died, a doctor, zoologist and researcher whose contribution was fundamental in discovering the transmission mechanism of the disease, finally clear only at the end of the nineteenth century". The ISS has dedicated a new podcast to the initiative that retraces the history of the disease and the activity of the institute, in addition to updating the pages of Epicentro and ISSalute dedicated to the disease.